JTOKJfe. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/seeingnewyorkbriOOcham 


Seeing  New  York 


A  BRIEF  HISTORICAL  GUIDE  AND  SOUVENIR 
OF  AMERICA'S  GREATEST  CITY 


PUBLISHED    BY 


American  Sight-Seeing  Boat  &  Transportation  Co. 

American  Sight-Seeing  Car  &  Coach  Co. 

American  Sight-Seeing  Coach  Co. 


OPERATING 

Seeing  New  York  Coaches 
Seeing  New  York  Automobiles 
Seeing  New  York  Steam  Yacht 
Seeing  Chinatown  and  Bowery 
(by  night)  Automobiles 
Seeing  Washington  Cars 
Seeing  Washington  Automobiles 
Seeing  Philadelphia  Automobiles 
Seeing  Denver  Automobiles 
Seeing       Denver       Cars 


HENRY  J.  MAYHAM,   President  H.   P.   BLAIR,  Vice-President 

V.  F.  Le  QUESNE,  Treasurer  and  General  Manager 


General  Offices:    Flat-Iron   Building,    New  York 


Copyrighted,   1909,    by  American    Sight-Seeing  Coach   Co. 

SIGHT    SEEING    ^,fYC.HsTNoAV, 
LEAVES    FOOT    WEST    42nd    ST.    DAILY    A    SUN  DAT, 
10.30  A.M.     2.30  P.M.     FARE  $1.00 

ENCIRCLES     MANHATTAN  ISLAND 


^^fe&S; 


v  . 


s*r 


^    ill  inn 


The   "Seeing    New    5fork"   Cars  and    Yacht 


The   Famous  Manhattan    Sky-line 


THE  EARLY    HISTORY  OF  NEW  YORK 


F,  as  Americans,  you've  known  in  your  dreams  a  city  you 
never  have  seen,  that  city  is  New  York!  It  is  the  typical 
community  in  the  Great  Republic,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
the  most  cosmopolitan  assemblage  of  mankind  upon  the 
face  of  earth.  Here  is  spoken  every  language  of  the 
habitable  globe.  Most  Christian  of  towns,  here  are 
preached  and  practiced  nearly  all  forms  of  religion:  the  Mohammedan  has 
his  mosque,  the  Jew  his  synagogue,  the  Confucian  his  joss-house,  the  Buddhist 
his  shrine,  the  Mormon  his  chapel,  and  the  Russ  his  Byzantine  altar.  Second 
in  population  only  to  London,  New  York  is  to-day  the  financial  and  the 
commercial  mart  of  the  human  race.  It  is  the  chief  gateway  out  of  which 
the  wealth  of  the  United  States  goes  to  all  corners  of  the  world.  It  owes 
everything  to  the  sea  and  to  the  agricultural  and  mineral  wealth  of  the  three 
million  square  miles  of  marvelous  territory  behind  it. 

Here  is  the  city  you  have  come  to  see — the  city  of  your  dreams! 
Whether  the  stranger  enters  by  sea  or  by  land,  he  should  know,  in  "Seeing 
New  York,"  that  the  spinal  column  of  the  articulated  system  of  the  original 
city  is  a  thoroughfare  that  starts  at  "The  Bowling  Green"  and  stretches  north- 
westward, thirteen  miles,  to  King's  Bridge,  over  Spuyten  Duyvil  creek, 
originally  given  several  names  in  different  localities  but  now  known  through- 
out its  length  by  the  single  word — Broadway.  Practically  traversing  the 
long,  narrow  island  of  Manhattan  from  end  to  end,  commercial  energy  is 


radiated  from  this  great  street  to  the  east  and  to  the  west  sides  of  the  Ameri- 
can metropolis.  Remembering  that  Broadway  must  be  crossed  in  order  to 
pass  from  river  to  river,  one  need  never  be  "lost"  in  New  York. 

Broadway  is,  therefore,  the  medial  line  upon  which  a  tourist's  mind  should 
be  focused. 

The  history  of  New  York  City  is  invested  with  much  truthful,  as  well  as 

apocryphal,   romance.      For  the  latter,   Washington   Irving,   who  saw  only 

the  humorous  side  of  the   Dutch  period,   is  chiefly   to   blame.      "Diedrich 

Knickerbocker's  History  of  New  York"  was  as  great  a  joke  to  its  author  as 

was  his  "Conquest  of  Granada."     But  much  that  is  true  has  come  down  to 

the  chronicler  of  to-day.     Wouter  Van  Twiller  and  Peter  Stuyvesant,  "exile 

of  the  Bouwerie,"  were  veritable  figures.     In  Jacob  Leisler  is  found  the  first 

American   martyr  to   popular  liberty.      Captain   Kidd,   born   at   Greenock, 

hanged  in  London,  protege  of  the  Earl  of  Bellamonte,  came  to  New  York  in 

1  696.  The  spontaneous  patriotism  of  the  "Liberty 
Romance  of  r,       ,,         ,     ,    .      ,  .      .  ,        .  ,     n  .  .  , 

boys     and  their  skirmish  with  British  troopers  at 

Golden  Hill,  which  marks  the  first  bloodshed  of  the 

Revolution,    antedates   the    Boston    Massacre.      One   cannot   cross    the   old 

Common,  now  City  Hall  Park,  without  seeing  in  imagination  the  figure  of 

Washington,  on  horseback,  under  the  trees,  listening  to  the  first  reading  of 

the  Declaration  of  Independence.     At  dead  of  night  one  may  fancy  he  hears 

the  clatter  of  Putnam's  steed  and  the  tramp  of  his  men  up  Broadway  in  their 

flight  from  The  Bowling  Green  to  Spuyten  Duyvil.     There's  a  three  volume 

novel  in  the  loves,  jealousies  and  hatreds  of  Madame  Jumel.      Evacuation 

Day,  the  Inauguration  of  the  First  President  of  the  young  Republic,  "The 

Great  Fire,"  the  "Visit  of  The  Black  Death"  (as  the  cholera  was  described), 

the  incidents  that  occurred  during  four  subsequent  wars,  the  Draft  Riots  of 

1  863,  and,  finally,  the  consolidation  of  the  boroughs  into  the  second  city  of 

the  world !     All  are  separate  stories. 

The  Battery  is  the  base  of  the  brain  from  which  the  spinal  cord,  called 

"Broadway,"  starts.      "The  Bowling  Green"  was  a  skittle  ground,  on  the 

northern  end  of  the  big  breathing  place.     Not  until  1  732  was  it  surrounded 

by  a  fence;  in  that  year,  at  an  annual  rental  of  one  pepper  corn,  the  Town 

Council  graciously  permitted  certain  inhabitants  to  inclose  an  acre  and  a  half 

of  ground,  fronting  the  entrance  to  the  Fort,  for 
The  Origin  of  &  • 

Bowllnq  Green  use    as    a  held.       Long    before    acquiring    its 

present  title  the  Dutch  had  found  the  bowling 
green  a  convenient  place  to  take  the  air.  A  statue  of  Abraham  de  Peyster, 
a  mayor  of  New  York  in   1  69 1 ,  faces  the  Custom  House. 

With  The  Battery  nothing  in  the  whole  city  is  historically  comparable. 
It  was  really  the  cradle  of  the  mighty  metropolis  of  to-day.  There  it  was 
that  Peter  Minuit,  a  native  of  Rhenish  Prussia,  acting  for  the  Dutch  West 


Hanover    Square 


Bowling    Green 


India  Company,  made  the 
original  purchase  of  Manhat- 
tan Island  from  the  Indians. 
He  paid  only  $24  for  the 
property,  but  that  need  not 
be  remembered  to  his  dis- 
credit. It  was  a  fair  bargain, 
as  prices  of  real  estate  ruled 
in  1  626 — to-day's  valuation 
is  $6,000,000,000.  The 
present  area  of  The  Battery 
is  2  1  acres — much  larger 
than  it  was  originally.  About  three-quarters  of  the  present  park  is  made 
ground.  The  site  of  the  first  fortification,  Fort  Amsterdam,  built  in  1  626, 
was  on  the  spot  where  now  stands  the  Custom  House.  That  the  land  orig- 
inally lay  very  near  tide-water  was  proven  recently  when  excavations  for  the 
Subway  unearthed  a  "monument  stone,"  fixing  the  latitude  and  longitude  of 
New  Amsterdam.  This  stone  has  been  set  up  anew  opposite  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  Custom  House.  Fort  Amsterdam  fronted  directly  upon  the 
waters  of  the  Bay.  At  that  particular  point  all  the  land  between  the  stone 
and  the  sea-wall  is  artificial.     This  change  is  of  comparatively  recent  date. 

The  Aquarium,  still  best  known  as  "Castle  Garden,"  was  built  in  181  1, 
its  present  site  standing  originally  in  the  water,  300  feet  from  the  shore,  with 
which  a  draw-bridge  connected  it.  Men  are  living  in  this  city  who  recall 
a  time  when  that  bridge  was  lined  with  fishermen,  angling  for  the  finny 
dwellers  in  the  harbor  waters.     A  large  part  of  the  material  used  to  fill  in 


the  shallows  came  from  the  earthworks  of  the  old  fort.  Therefore,  nearly 
every  shovelful  of  the  ground  between  the  fort  and  Castle  Garden  came  from 
the  ramparts  of  the  first  protection  the  old  Dutch  town  enjoyed.  It  was  not 
the  Indians  the  Dutch  feared  but  the  English.  The  Britons  were  "pushing/' 
then,  as  they  have  been  since  that  time. 

The  people  of  to-day  can  take  the  Subway  at  The  Bowling  Green  sta- 
tion for  all  points  in  the  upper  end  of  Manhattan  or  The  Bronx,  and  are 
within  four  minutes  of  Brooklyn  Borough  Hall  by  tunnel  under  the  mouth 
of  East  River. 

A  whole  book  could  be  written  about  The  Battery,  because  of  the  long 

succession  of  events  in  national  as  well  as  local  history  that  have  occurred 

there  or  have  been  celebrated  under  its  trees.      Here  the  Dutch  settlers  laid 

the  foundations  of  a  metropolis  for  the  New  World,  and,  although  they  agreed 

upon  a  name,  "New  Amsterdam,"  they  didn't  settle  upon  the  exact  site  until 

many  pipes  of  schnapps  and  countless  disputes  had  been  heard.      Many  of 

the  worthy  men  preferred  to  accept  the  site  of  "Spuyten  Duyvil,"  sheltered 

by  a  range  of  hills  and  backed  by  level  meadows 
The  Canals  of  .  ...       ,  „  . 

Dutch  New  York  through  which  canals  could  be  dug.      1  hey  sought 

to  hide  behind  what  we  now  call  "the  Heights  of 
Fort  Washington"  (so  admirably  comprehended  during  the  tour  upon  the 
"Seeing  New  York"  Yacht).  Of  course  they  didn't  need  the  canals,  but 
they  were  so  accustomed  to  them  in  their  native  land  that  artificial  waterways 
had  become  a  part  of  their  existence. 

The  Battery  site  was  finally  chosen,  and  to  carry  out  the  illusion  that  the 
burghers  were  still  in  Holland  a  canal  was  digged  in  what  is  now  Wall  street. 
It  made  the  colonists  feel  at  home.  Although  the  first  dwelling  house  was 
built  upon  the  crest  of  the  rise,  at  a  point  now  No.  41  Broadway,  the 
citizens  of  New  Amsterdam  gathered  at  The  Battery,  under  the  whispering 

leaves,  with  orioles  and  blue-birds  for  companions 

and  the  rippling  tides  at  their  feet,  to  smoke  and 
of  the  Battery  i  .      o         ,  ,  i      /  •  i 

dream!      out    they    never    dreamed    or    a    mighty 

metropolis  that  has  grown  upon  the  place  of  their  selection! 

Later,  during  Colonial  days,  the  citizens  of  young  New  York  took  the  air 
on  the  Battery  Commons  and  exchanged  gossip  every  pleasant  afternoon. 

Then  came  journalism.  Peter  Zenger's  "New  York  Weekly  Journal" 
was  first  issued  November  5,  1  733,  and  his  denunciations  of  British  rule 
became  so  stinging  that  he  was  arrested  for  libel  and  thrown  into  jail,  where 
he  was  refused  the  use  of  pen,  ink  or  paper.  His  dungeon  was  in  the  base- 
ment of  the  City  Hall,  which  then  stood  on  the  site  of  the  Sub-Treasury,  at 
the  head  of  Broad  street.  Zenger  edited  his  paper  through  a  chink  in  the 
door,  dictating  his  articles  to  one  of  his  assistants  on  the  outside.  He  wasn't 
able  to  furnish  the  400  pounds  bail.      The  Grand  Jury  refused  to  indict 


Zenger;  but  the  Attorney-General  filed  "an  information"  that  kept  him  in 
jail.  None  of  the  prominent  lawyers  in  this  city  at  the  time  dared  to  under- 
take his  defence,  and  Zenger's  friends  brought  from  Philadelphia  the  ven- 
erable lawyer,  Andrew  Hamilton,  then  aged  eighty  years. 

Court  assembled  on  August  4,  1  735,  in  the  City  Hall.  DeLancey  was 
Chief  Justice,  Philipse  was  second  Judge,  and  Bradley  was  Attorney- 
General.  John  Chambers,  appointed  by  the  Court  as  attorney  for  the  pris- 
oner, pleaded  not  guilty  and  obtained  a  struck  jury.  The  first  vindication 
of  the  freedom  of  the  press  followed. 

Hamilton  boldly  admitted  the  publication  of  the  articles,  but  claimed  that 
"printing"  and  "libeling"  were  not  synonymous  terms.  He  read  many 
passages  from  the  Bible,  which,  with  an  interpola- 

r  iiii  The   F,PSt 

tion  or  contemporaneous  names,  would  have  been  Liberty  Pole 

admittedly  libelous.     His  argument  was  sophistical, 

but  it  captured  the  jury,  and  a  unanimous  verdict  in  favor  of  Zenger  was 
rendered.      A  public   dinner  was   given   to   Hamilton. 

In  Beaver's  Lane,  now  called  a  street,  Admiral  Peter  Warren  had  the 
final  roll-call  before  sailing  to  capture  Louisburg  (1  745). 

When  the  Revolution  came,  The  Battery  was  the  point  at  which  the 
"liberty  pole,"  flying  its  quaint  flag,  was  set  up.  A  stone  marks  the  event, 
but  not  the  exact  locality  on  which  the  famous  flag-staff  stood.     Another  his- 


Fraunce's   Tavern,    restored  as  it   was  in    1776 


The    Sub-Treasury 

torical  incident  associated  with  the  spot  was  the  nailing  of  the  British  colors 
to  the  top  of  the  same  staff  and  the  greasing  of  the  pole,  when  the  English 
evacuated  the  city  on  November  25,  1  783.  It  was  an  act  comparable  with 
the  Spaniards  at  Santiago  sinking  their  ships  after  surrender. 

America  was  free  and  the  last  act  of  the  war  occurred  right  here.  The 
evacuation  of  New  York  practically  ended  the  Revolution,  although  Niagara 
was  garrisoned  by  the  British  for  several  years  thereafter.  The  flag  of  St. 
George  was  torn  down  from  its  greased  pole  by  David  Van  Arsdale,  aged 
twenty-eight,  born  at  Cornwall,  Orange  County  (January  5,  1756).  The 
nails  with  which  young  Van  Arsdale  fastened  cleats  to  the  pole  and  ascended 
to  the  top  of  the  staff  were  obtained  from  Goelet's  hardware  shop  in  Han- 
over Square.  This  Goelet  was  the  founder  of  a  very  wealthy  family.  A 
daughter  of  the  present  generation  has  reconquered  a  part  of  Great  Britain 
by  becoming  the  Duchess  of  Roxburghe. 

Always  remember  that  the  'British  Colonial  and  Revolutionary 
memories  are  more  interesting  than  those  of  the  'Dutch  period. 

From  the  Kennedy  house,  which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  Washing- 
ton Building,  No.  1  Broadway,  Sir  Henry  Clinton  made  his  plans  to  profit 
by  the  treachery  of  Benedict  Arnold,  who  had  agreed  for  ten  thousand 
pounds  sterling   ($50,000)   and  the  post  of  brigadier-general  in  the  British 


army  to  deliver  West  Point,  the  key  of  the  American  possessions,  to  the 
enemy.  From  this  building,  Sir  Henry  sent  his  instructions  to  the  unfortunate 
young  Andre,  including  the  commission  for  the  traitor,  Arnold,  that  proved 
to  be  the  Englishman's  death  warrant.  Andre  met  the  ignoble  doom  of  a 
spy ;  but,  in  contrast  to  the  treatment  accorded  to  Nathan  Hale,  his  last  hours 
were  soothed  by  every  attention  that  humanity  could  inspire.  Arnold,  hav- 
ing received  the  price  of  his  treachery,  took  residence  in  New  York,  branded 
with  universal  scorn.  He  lived  in  desolate  loneliness  in  the  Verplanck  house, 
in  Wall  street,  and  then  at  No.   9  Broadway. 

An  earnest  effort  was  made  by  the  Americans  to  capture  Arnold.  A 
soldier  named  Champe,  staking  his  reputation  and  his  life  on  the  hazard, 
feigned  to  desert  to  the  British  army.      He  swam 

the  Hudson,  and  was  warmly  welcomed  by  Ar- 

i  i       tl  j    j  •      i   £  Narrow  Escape 

nold.       1  he   supposed   deserter   gained   tree   access 

to  Arnold's  house  on  Broadway.     An  alley  at  one  side  of  the  garden,  in  the 

rear  of  the  Arnold  house,  was  to  afford  the  Americans  access  to  the  grounds. 

Champe  loosened  several  palings  of  the  fence  and  a  boat's  crew  was  to  row 

across  the  river,  seize  Arnold,  gag  him  and  take  him  away.     A  mere  accident 

prevented  the  success  of  the  conspiracy.      On  the  day  preceding  that  fixed 

for  the  capture  Champe  was  ordered  to  embark  for  the  Chesapeake  and 

Arnold  removed  to  a  house  near  the  point  of  sailing.      The   crew  came, 

penetrated  to  the  grounds,  but  returned  to  the  camp  unsuccessful.     Champe 

deserted  from  the  British  army  at  the  earliest  opportunity  and  cleared  the 

stain  that  had  rested  upon  his  name.     General  Arnold  remained  in  the  British 

service  until  the  end  of  the  war,  then  went  to  England,  and  died  in   1801, 

shunned  by  everybody. 

A   visit   to   the   Aquarium,    which,    as    "Castle   Garden,"    sheltered    the 

inauguration  of  Grand  Opera  in  this  country,  should  be  made  before  leaving 

New  York,  more  for  its  historical  associations  than  for  the  display  of  fish  to 

be  found  there.      When  the  round  stone  building 

ceased  to  be  a  fort  it  was  converted  into  a  summer 

j  j         j  r        •   •  i        ^tl        ..l  Castle  Garden 

garden,  and  used  tor  civic  ceremonials.      1  here  the 

Marquis  de  Lafayette  was  entertained  with  a  grand  ball  on  the  occasion  of 

his  last  visit  to  the  United  States,  in  1  824.     Public  receptions  were  also  given 

to  President  Andrew  Jackson,  in  1832;  and  President  John  Tyler,  in  1843. 

Then  followed  the  memorable  arrival  of  the  immortal  Jenny  Lind,  under  the 

management  of  P.  T.  Barnum,  on  which  occasion  fabulous  prices  were  paid 

for  seats.     The  New  York  "Herald"  of  September   12,   1850,  contains  an 

account  of  Jenny  Lind's  first  concert.     She  gave  her  share  of  the  receipts  on 

that  occasion,  declared  to  be  $10,000,  to  twelve  charities  in  this  city!     She 

founded  the  Fire  Department  Relief  Fund  by  a  gift  of  $3,000.     She  sang 

"Casta  Diva";  the  scene  and  cavatina  from   "Norma";   Meyerbeer's  con- 


certante  for  voice  and  two  flutes,  "Camp  of  Silesia,"  composed  expressly  for 
her;  a  Swedish  "Herdsman's  Song,"  with  echo,  and  a  prize  poem  by  Bayard 
Taylor.  She  responded  to  every  recall,  and  was  in  girlish  spirits.  Tickets 
were,  nominally,  $3;  but  the  auction  sales  reached  a  total  of  $25,000. 

The  building  was  converted  into  an  immigrant  receiving  station  in  1855, 
and  so  continued  until  the  last  day  of  1  890,  when  it  was  transferred  from 
State  control  to  the  City  of  New  York.  The  immigrant  station  was  re- 
moved to  Ellis  Island,  not  far  from  the  Liberty  Statue. 

Proceeding  to  South  Ferry  and  thence  to  the  beginning  of  Broad  street, 
we  plunge  into  a  region  filled  with  Revolutionary  memories.  Broad  street 
was  used  as  a  drill  ground  for  Continental  recruits.  At  Fraunce's  Tavern, 
recently  restored,  Washington  took  each  of  his  generals  by  the  hand  after  he 
had  delivered  his  historic  Farewell  Address.  As  a  State  Paper  that  speech, 
uttered  with  tearful  pathos,  is  second  only  to  the  Constitution  of  the  Republic: 
every  suggestion  of  policy  therein  made  is  part  of  the  unwritten  law  of  our 
land. 

Washington's  farewell  toast,  uttered  with  tearful  eyes,  is  very  memorable: 
"With  a  heart  full  of  love  and  gratitude  I  now  take  leave  of  you,  and  most 
devoutly  wish  that  your  latter  days  may  be  as  prosperous  and  happy  as  your 
former  ones  have  been  glorious  and  honorable."  Raising  his  glass  to  his  lips, 
the  Father  of  His  Country  added:  "I  shall  be  obliged  if  each  one  of  you  will 
come  and  take  me  by  the  hand." 

The  officers  obeyed  in  silence;  none  could  speak  owing  to  the  emotion  he 
felt.      General  Knox,  commander  of  the  City  of  New  York,  was  first;  the 
others,  in  turn.     Not  a  word  was  spoken.     Wash- 
ington passed  from  the  room,  walked  to  the  foot  of 
of  Washington  ,v/l  .    ,    „       ,  ,  .  . 

Whitehall,  where  a  boat  was  waiting  to  convey  him 

to  Paulus's  Hook,  whence  he  went  to  Annapolis  and  surrendered  his  com- 
mission to  Congress.  Thence  he  proceeded  to  Mount  Vernon  and  became  a 
private  citizen. 

The  tavern  of  Samuel  Fraunce  stands,  exactly  as  in  Washington's  time,  at 
the  corner  of  Broad  and  Pearl  streets.  Before  the  Father  of  His  Country 
took  farewell  of  his  officers  (December  4,  1  783),  he  had  been  living  at  the 
De  Peyster  house  on  Pearl  street,  opposite  Cedar.  One  can  cross  the  sacred 
portals  of  Fraunce's  Tavern  and  stand  upon  the  exact  spot  at  which  the  chief 
hero  of  the  American  Revolution  stood. 

Looking  up  Broad  street,  toward  the  Sub-Treasury,  during  the  hours  of 
trading,  the  shouts  of  the  curbstone  brokers  recall  the  cheers  of  the  "Liberty 
Boys,"  who  had  this  thoroughfare  for  parade  ground.  At  the  corner  of 
Beaver  a  tablet  commemorates  the  seizure  of  many  muskets  from  British 
guardians.      Almost   across   the   street   the   types   of  a   royalist  printer  were 


The  New  York  Stock  Exchange,  on  Broad  Street 


The   Chamber   of   Commerce 


"pied."  Several  signers 
of  the  Declaration  lived  in 
the  neighborhood.  Alex- 
ander Hamilton  had  his 
law  office  on  the  west  side 
of  Broad  street. 

The  triangle  between 
Broad,  Wall  and  the  East 
River  is  the  general  local- 
ity of  the  "Great  Fire 
of  1835,"  although  it 
spread  to  the  northward  in 
^N>w  ^  N%  jBt         isolated  places.     It  caused 

a  loss  of  $20,000,000, 
and  was  the  greatest 
American  conflagration 
until  Chicago's  (1871). 
A  tablet  at  88  Pearl 
street,  on  the  south  side  of 
Hanover  Square,  indicates 
where  the  conflagration 
started  that  destroyed  650  houses.  Hanover  Square,  at  81  Pearl  street, 
was  the  home  of  the  first  American  newspaper,  printed  by  William  Bradford. 
John  Jacob  Astor,  first,  subsequently  lived  at  No.  81  Queen  (now  Pearl) 
street  (1786).  The  first  City  Directory  (1786)  was  printed  at  1  1  1 
Queen  street,  near  the  "Tea  Water  Pump."  This  is  the  proper  place  to 
say  that  the  great  Astor  fortune  wasn't  gained  by  accident.  New  York 
was  a  century  old  when  the  first  Astor  came  here  from  his  father's  home  in 
Baden,  with  a  settled  conviction  in  his  mind  that  the  town  of  his  adoption  had 
a  great  future  and  that  he  would  link  his  destiny  with  it.  Young  Astor  had 
fifteen  guineas  ($75)  and  a  suit  of  Sunday  clothes  when  he  set  out.  He 
voyaged  in  the  steerage,  because  he  needed  all  his  capital.  On  the  sea  he 
made  the  acquaintance  of  a  fellow-countryman  who  had  been  here  and  had 
made  enough  money  in  the  fur  trade  to  revisit  his  native  land.  Astor  wrote 
down  in  a  memorandum  book  (which  exists  in  the  family  archives)  every 
suggestion  regarding  the  fur  business  that  he  gathered  from  his  unknown 
fellow-traveler. 

The  ship  was  caught  by  the  ice  in  Chesapeake  Bay  and  its  loss  seemed 
inevitable.  Every  other  traveler  put  on  his  oldest  clothes,  but  Astor  appeared 
in  his  best  suit.  When  asked  a  reason  for  this  act,  he  answered:  "If  I'm 
saved  I'll  have  my  good  clothes;  if  I'm  drowned  it  will  not  make  any  differ- 
ence how  I'm  dressed." 


12 


When  the  young  man  reached  New  York  he  began  as  a  journeyman 
baker,  being  too  proud  to  accept  a  clerkship  under  his  brother  Henry,  who 
was  the  head  of  the  existing  "Beef  Trust."  He  was  an  excellent  baker,  and 
"Astor  rolls"  are  known  to  this  day.  After  trying  several  trades  he  became 
a  clerk  to  Robert  Brown,  a  fur  dealer,  at  $2  per  week  and  board.  He  was 
sent  up  the  Hudson  to  buy  skins  from  the  hunters  and  trappers.  He  learned 
the  languages  of  the  Mohawks,  Senecas  and  Oneidas. 

At  last  he  started  in  trade  on  his  own  account,  with  $500  borrowed  from 
Henry  Astor  and  a  dowry  of  $300  from  his  bride,  Sarah  Todd.  He 
organized  his  business,  and  within  ten  years  had  a  regiment  of  Indians  and 
white  men  killing  wild  game  for  him.  Then  he  began  his  explorations, 
personally  and  by  proxy.  He  became  the  pioneer  American  in  the  China 
trade.  One  of  his  ships  visited  the  Sandwich  Islands  and  carried  a  cargo  of 
sandalwood  to  China  that  netted  nearly  a  hundred  thousand  dollars'  profit. 
Meanwhile,  his  interests  had  been  pushed  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia 
River,  to  Puget  Sound,  and  to  Hudson  Bay,  in  the  far  North. 

He  began  to  buy  real  estate;  not  farms,  but  building  sites.  Then  it  was 
that  he  laid  down  the  principle,  adhered  to  with  slight  deviation,  that 
"Astor  buys  property,  but  does  not  sell!"  And  so  the  financial  giant  grew 
until  he  became  the  wealthiest  man  of  his  century.  He  left  to  the  people  of 
New  York  a  marvellous  heritage  in  the  Astor  Library,  and  the  first  good 
hotel,  opposite  City  Hall  Park,  and  to  his  heirs  $20,000,000,  which  has 
grown  to-day  to  half  a  billion  dollars! 

In   the   Hanover  Square  region   lived  Jacob   Leisler,   the  first  martyr  to 

constitutional  liberty  in  America.     He  was  a  wealthy  shipping  merchant,  and 

because  of  his  popularity  and  high  character  was 

ii    i  i      i  •    r  ii  r>  i  The  First  Con 

called  by  his  rellow  citizens  to  act  as  Liovernor  dur-  tinental  Congress 

ing  the  interregnum  occasioned  by  the  accession  of 

William  and  Mary.  His  rule,  which  did  not  have  royal  sanction,  lasted 
from  1  689  to  1  69 1 .  At  his  summons,  in  May,  1  690,  the  first  Continental 
Congress  assembled  in  the  old  Stadt  Huys,  in  Coenties  Slip.  The  colonies 
of  New  York,  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  Plymouth  and  Maryland  were 
represented.  New  Jersey  and  Philadelphia,  fearful  of  disloyalty — the  suc- 
cessors of  Penn  were  opposed  to  war — sent  only  their  "sympathies."  The 
Congress  voted  to  raise  an  army  of  850  men  "to  drive  the  French  from 
Canada."  When  Colonel  Sloughter,  the  new  Governor,  arrived  from  Eng- 
land, Leisler  was  deposed,  tried  for  treason,  and  hanged  on  Park  Row,  in 
front  of  the  General  Post  Office. 


13 


Wall  Streel 


Curl)   Brokers 
on  Broad   Street 


Nassau  Streel 


WHERE  MILLIONS  ARE  MADE 

ODERN  Broad  street  saw  the  first  of  the  large  office  build- 
ings when  D.  O.  Mills  put  up  the  ornate  structure  of  red 
brick  that  bears  his  name.  When  completed,  it  was 
thought  to  be  so  vast  in  its  proportions  that  it  was  pointed 
out  as  a  wonderful  creation  of  architectural  art;  now,  it 
has  been  excelled  by  a  score  of  structures  on  Broadway 
and  Park  Row.  A  handsome  structure  of  more  than  twenty  floors  adjoins 
it,  across  Exchange  Place. 

American  finance  is  comprehended  in  the  words  "Wall  Street,"  a  name 
that  includes  Broad,  Nassau,  Pine  and  Cedar  streets,  Exchange  Place  and 
six  blocks  of  Broadway.  Wall  street,  with  Gothic  Trinity  Church  at  its  top, 
is  more  given  up  to  lawyers  than  brokers. 

The  new  Stock  Exchange  is  a  replica  of  the  best  period  of  Greek  archi- 
tecture, with  a  facade  of  Corinthian  columns,  each  52  feet  high,  and  it  cost 
more  than  three  million  dollars.  The  interior  is  a  room  of  vast  height;  its 
gallery  for  visitors  is  small  and  admission  is  had  only  by  card  from  a  member. 
(The  Board  of  Governors  extends  this  courtesy  to  our  patrons.)  In  this 
maelstrom  of  money,  called  "The  Stock  Exchange,"  the  trading  hours  last 
from  ten  till  three.  Here  is  the  centre  of  the  financial  world.  The  exchange 
of  a  million  and  a  half  shares  of  stocks  during  that  brief  time  is  not  unusual. 
Its  business  is  three  times  as  large  as  that  of  Capel  Court,  in  London,  and 
five  times  greater  than  on  the  Paris  Bourse.  A  half  hour  may  be  profitably 
spent  watching  the  "bulls  and  bears,"  if  the  trading  be  brisk.  Seats  that 
cost  $5,000  each  in  1875,  now  sell  for  $90,000.  As  one  stands  in  the 
gallery,  watching  the  surging,  noisy  crowd  of  brokers  upon  the  floor  below, 
and  remembers  what  a  seat  in  this  Exchange  costs,  one  ceases  to  wonder 
that  so  few  of  the  traders  can  afford  to  sit  down. 

The  "Open  Board"  or  "Curb,"  in  the  middle  of  Broad  street  (where 
"unlisted  securities"  are  dealt  in),  is  composed  of  a  highly  interesting  group 
of  frantic  traders.     Some  of  the  highest  priced  and 

most  staple  stocks  are  traded  in  "on  the  Curb,"  as  A  Stock  Market 

well  as  many  shares  of  the  "wild-cat"  variety.     For 

instance,  if  you  want  to  buy  Standard  Oil  stock,  the  purchase  must  be  made 
"on  the  Curb." 

In  five  hundred  brokers'  offices  of  this  locality,  capitalists,  principals, 
agents  and  customers  stand  watching  "tickers"  or  blackboards  for  quotations, 
and  thousands  of  clerks  are  busy  checking  "margins"  or  "commissions," 
and  sales  or  purchases.  They  form  the  mechanism  behind  the  activities  the 
visitor  beholds  upon  the  floor  of  the  Exchange. 

15  • 


This  region  may  also  be  described  as  the  banking  district,  although  several 

strong  financial  institutions  are  located  further  uptown.     The  private  banking 

offices  of  J.  P.  Morgan  &  Co.,  in  a  marble  building  facing  the  Sub-Treasury, 

are  the  most  famous  in  the  Street.      The  National  City  Bank,  which,  with 

the  Bank  of  Commerce  on  Nassau  street,  handles  most  of  the  millions  of  the 

Standard  Oil  Company,  until  recently,  by  a  curious  coincidence,  occupied 

the  site  of  Captain  Kidd's  house  on  the  north  side  of  Wall  street,  but  it  is  now 

located  in  an  imposing  edifice  upon  the  site  of  the  old  Custom  House.     At 

the  corner  of  William  street  is  the  Bank  of  New 

York,  which  was  organized  by  Alexander  Hamilton 
Sky-scrapers  , 

and,  as  the  first  bank  after  the  Revolution,  began 

business  at  the  old  Walton  house,  on  Franklin  Square.     The  banks  in  the 

locality  are  too  numerous  to  mention.     The  slave  market  was  at  the  foot  of 

Wall  street  in   1  709. 

Before  returning  to  Broadway,  the  fine  Greek  temple  facing  Broad  street, 
and  standing  upon  the  site  of  the  second  Stadt  Huys  or  City  Hall,  should 
be  examined.  Upon  the  spot  indicated  by  J.  Q.  A.  Ward's  heroic  statue 
of  Washington  the  First  President  took  the  oath  of  office.  The  structure 
then  standing  was  known  as  Federal  Hall.  The  vaults  of  the  Sub-Treasury, 
wherein  are  many  millions  in  coin  and  gold  ingots,  are  shown  to  visitors  at 
regular  hours  daily.  Silver  ingots,  cast  in  large  sizes  for  safety  in  handling, 
are  carted  through  the  streets  upon  open  drays,  like  pig  iron.  While  in  this 
locality  a  visit  should  be  paid  to  the  beautiful  Chamber  of  Commerce  build- 
ing on  Liberty  street,  near  Nassau.  This  dainty  and  highly  ornate  structure, 
amidst  surrounding  skyscrapers,  is  a  treasure-house  of  historic  paintings.  The 
Chamber  of  Commerce  was  founded  in  1  768,  and  held  its  first  meeting  in 
Fraunce's  Tavern.  It  is  a  mint-mark  of  commercial  stability  to  have  one's 
name  upon  its  roll  of  membership.  The  Clearing  House,  nearby,  is  also 
worthy  of  external  inspection. 

Back  on  Broadway  the  tall  granite  structure  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company, 
at  No.  26,  forms  one  of  a  broken  series  of  great  office  buildings  that  stretches 
northward  for  two  miles.  Aldrich  Court  was  the  site  of  the  first  dwelling 
houses  in  New  York.  At  No.  62  were  the  original  offices  of  "Commodore" 
Cornelius  Vanderbilt. 

Trinity  Church  has  been  the  pride  of  the  metropolis  for  more  than  three- 
quarters  of  a  century.  It  will  remain  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Cathedral 
Church  of  New  York  until  the  completion  of  St.  John  the  Divine,  on  Morn- 
ingside  Heights,  many  years  hence. 

Trinity  Parish  contains  nine  chapels  and  churches.  It  was  founded  in 
1  696,  and  possesses  property  of  fabulous  value.  Most  of  its  millions  come 
from  Anneke  Jans  (see  a  tablet  at  23  Whitehall  street),  a  widow  who 
owned  a  farm  of  63  acres,  extending  from  Warren  street  to  Canal,  west  of 

16 


Tomb  of 
Alexander   Hamilton 


Trinity    Church 


Old  Trinity  and 
Its  Millions 


Broadway.  Colonel  Lovelace,  second  English  Governor,  acquired  this 
farm,  in  1670,  "for  a  consideration,"  generally  believed  to  have  been  "affec- 
tion," and  it  was  added  to  "the  Queen's  Farm," 
which,  thirty-five  years  later,  Queen  Anne  ceded 
to   Trinity   Church.      A   generation   later   some   of 

Anneke's  descendants  began  lawsuits  to  recover  all  or  part  of  the  estate. 
This  litigation  has  continued  for  200  years,  but  the  church  wardens  always 
win.  The  present  Gothic  structure  of  brown  sandstone  is  the  third  that  has 
stood  upon  the  spot.  The  superb  bronze  doors  at  the  main  front  entrance  are 
replicas  from  the  basilica  in  Florence,  and  are  the  gift  of  William  Waldorf 
Astor,  in  memory  of  his  father,  John  Jacob  Astor.  The  reredos  and  altar 
are  a  memorial  to  William  B.  Astor,  erected  by  his  sons.  The  churchyard 
contains  many  graves  of  famous  men;  but  the  single  slab,  lying  flat  upon  the 


T 


Brooklyn   Bridge 

earth,  that  marks  the  resting  place  of  Charlotte  Temple  excites  more  sym- 
pathetic interest  than  do  the  elaborate  monuments  to  Alexander  Hamilton 
or  Captain  Lawrence,  of  the  "Chesapeake,"  who  shouted  with  his  last 
breath,  "Don't  give  up  the  ship!"  Charlotte  Temple's  home,  according  to 
the  best  authorities,  was  in  a  little  court  off  Doyers  street,  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Bowery.  In  Trinity  yard  also  are  the  graves  of  William  Bradford, 
printer;  Robert  Fulton,  inventor;  Bishop  Hobart,  a  pioneer  of  the  Cross;  and 
Gen.  Phil.   Kearny,  a  hero  of  the  Civil  War.      The  Martyrs'   Monument, 


The   Queensboro    Bridge,    Across    Blackwell's    Island 

18 


facing  Pine  street,  commemorates  the  American  patriots  who  died  in  British 
prisons  and  prison  ships  during  the  Revolution.  The  vestrymen  of  Trinity 
Parish  are  generally  distinguished  citizens  of  New  York. 

The  red  brick  bank  building  facing  Trinity  Church,  at  the  corner  of  Wall 
street,  was  long  known  to  the  financial  world  as  "Fort  Sherman,"  because  of 
the  close  association  that  existed  between  its  directors  and  John  Sherman, 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  under  President  Hayes. 

Temple  street,  which  Trinity  Parish  has  now  closed,  lay  directly  behind 
that  part  of  the  west  side  of  Broadway,  and  it  originally  was  a  lane  that  led 
into  the  churchyard.  It  was  the  scene  of  the  ludicrous  "Doctors'  Riot." 
Between  the  evacuation  by  the  British  troops  in  1  783  and  the  organization 
of  the  Federal  Government  in  1  789  the  most  sensational  local  incident  was 
a  riot  known  as  "the  Doctors'."  Body-snatching,  for  the  use  of  the  dis- 
secting-room of  King's  College,  had  been  frequent.     As  long  as  these  dese- 


The  Harlem   River,  between  High  and  Washington   Bridges.  Showing  the   Seeing   New  York 

Steam    Yacht    "Clifton" 

crations  were  confined  to  the  burying  ground  of  the  negroes,  the  white  citi- 
zens did  not  manifest  resentment;  but  when  one  of  the  private  cemeteries  was 
finally  invaded  by  the  ghouls  the  people  manifested  a  violent  antipathy  to  the 
medical  profession.  The  New  York  Hospital  was  regarded  with  superstitious 
horror.  An  attack  was  made  upon  it;  its  doors  were  broken  down,  and  a 
costly  collection  of  articulated  skeletons  imported  from  abroad  was  destroyed. 
Several  cadavers  were  found  upon  the  dissecting-tables  and  borne  out  for 
interment.  Many  terrified  physicians  hid  themselves,  but  were  dragged  out 
by  the  populace,  and  were  only  saved  from  lynching  by  obliging  magistrates 
who  committed  them  to  the  jails.  A  street  fight  occurred  the  following  day, 
in  which  five  people  were  killed  and  many  wounded.     The  final  incident  was 

19 


m 


vl:  •"    '- fee  gel 


^^me  ?!&*«£ 


The  Singer   Building,   Broadway  and   Liberty   Street,   fortj  seven 

-•lories,  612  Feel  lii^h-      Buill  and  owned  by  the  Singer 

Manufacturing   Company 


the  attack  upon  the  house  of  Sir  John  Temple.  "While  the  excitement  was 
at  its  height,"  says  Mrs.  Booth,  in  her  "History  of  New  York,"  "a  group  of 
the  rioters  (doubtless  recruited  from  the  waterside  and  very  unlettered 
men)  chanced  to  pass  the  house  of  Sir  John  Temple,  the  resident  British 
consul,  and,  mistaking  the  words  'Sir  John'  upon  his  door-plate  for  'Surgeon,' 
the  rioters  almost  wrecked  the  house  before  they  could  be  stopped."  The 
street  was  named  for  the  offended  consul,  as  a  balm  to  his  lacerated  feelings, 
and  the  city  authorities  made  proper  apology  and  recompense. 

Turning  north  on  Broadway,  we  shall  follow  the  historic  thoroughfare 
to  Washington  Place,  where,  turning  to  the  westward,  we  shall  proceed,  by 
way  of  Fifth  avenue,  to  Central  Park. 

Broadway  is   the  most  interesting  street   in   America.      With   the   single 


One   of  the   Stations   (if   tin    Hudson    River    Tunnel   to    New  Jersey 

exception  of  Broad  street,   Philadelphia,  it  is  the  longest.      Measured  from 
the  Bowling  Green  to  the  city  line,  its  length  is  1  3  miles. 

The  first  Beef  Trust  in  this  country  was  created  by  a  butcher  named 
Henry  Astor,  who  had  a  shop  in  the  Fly  Market,  Maiden  Lane,  and  used 
to  ride  out  the  Boston  post  road  to  meet  the  drovers  coming  into  town  with 
cattle,  which  he  bought  at  the  best  spot  cash  prices  and  resold  at  higher 
figures  to  the  retail  tradesmen.  There  was  a  revolt  against  this  Beef  Trust 
during  the  Revolution,  and  its  chief  narrowly  escaped  summary  vengeance 
from  butchers  and  their  patrons.  At  a  stream  that  ran  down  the  middle 
of  what  is  to-day  Maiden  Lane — now  the  centre  of  the  wholesale  jewelry 
trade  of  the  United  States — the  Dutch  girls  did  the  family  washing.  Nas- 
sau street  of  to-day  was  then  "Pie  Woman's  Lane"    (about   1700). 


The   Battery 

At  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Liberty  street  we  see  the  Singer  Build- 
ing, one  of  the  highest  office  structures  and  one  of  the  most  notable  edifices 
in  the  world.  Forty-seven  stories  from  the  sidewalk  to  pinnacle,  6 1  2  feet, 
it  is  a  cloud-piercing  point  of  the  skyline  of  Manhattan.  Its  tower  rests  on 
thirty-six  caissons  sunk  to  bed  rock,  92  feet  below  curb,  65  feet  square, 
weighing  18,365  tons,  anchored  with  eye-bars  embedded  in  concrete,  so 
braced  as  to  withstand  a  wind  pressure  of  301  pounds  to  the  square  foot, 
or  of  330  tons  against  any  face;  5,000  tenants;  sixteen  Otis  traction  eleva- 
tors; entire  building  9  J/2  acres  floor  space.  This  building  embodies  the 
ingenuity  and  the  artistic  sense  of  one  of  the  leading  architects  of  America; 
the  wisdom  of  experts  in  sanitation,  ventilation,  decoration  and  every  detail 
which  makes  for  personal  comfort;  the  genius  of  leading  engineers. 

Cortlandt  street  runs  through  land  purchased  in  1671  by  Brewer  Oloff 
Stevenson  Cortlandt,  who  had  come  here  from  Holland  as  secretary  to 
Governor  Kieft  and  become  commissioner  of  cargoes  for  the  West  India 
Company.  He  soon  started  in  business  on  his  own  account  and  laid  the 
foundations  of  an  immense  fortune,  which  his  descendants  have  enjoyed. 
Cortlandt  means  "little  land." 

At  Cortlandt  street,  and  at  Hudson  Terminal  Buildings,  one  block 
westward,  is  the  downtown  entrance  to  the  Hudson  River  tunnel  system. 
One  may  take  an  electric  train  and  be  in  Jersey  City  in  three  minutes!  He 
connects  right  here  with  the  Pennsylvania,  the  Erie,  the  Lackawanna  and 
Western  and  the  Lehigh  Valley  railroads.  These  tunnels,  and  two  farther 
north,  near  Christopher  street,  running  under  the  Hudson  to  Hoboken,  are 
the  results  of  the  energy  of  one  man,  William  G.  McAdoo.  He  came  to 
this  city  a  stranger  in  1893,  and  set  for  himself  the  task  of  building  tunnels 
under  the  Hudson.      He  was  a  lawyer,  not  an  engineer;  but  the  fact  that 


22 


failure  in  such  an  enterprise  had  occurred  stimulated  his  energy.  The  up- 
town New  Jersey  tunnel,  which  will  extend  as  far  north  as  Grand  Central 
Station,  was  opened  to  Twenty-third  street  and  Sixth  avenue  in  1  908.  The 
twin  tunnels  from  the  Hudson  Terminal,  at  Church  and  Cortlandt  streets, 
were  opened,  with  civic  formalities,  on  July  1 9,  1  909.  Each  of  the  two 
sets  of  viaducts  under  the  Hudson  consists  of  two  parallel  tunnels,  built  of 
massive  iron  segments  and  concrete,  of  enormous  strength  and  capable  of 
resisting  any  pressure.  These  tunnels  run  through  soil  and  solid  rock,  and 
river  water  does  not  touch  them  at  any  point.  The  four  tunnels  are  each 
about  three  miles  in  length.  The  width  of  the  Hudson  is  one  mile.  Ven- 
tilation is  mechanical;  the  cars  are  built  of  steel,  and  a  complete  block  sys- 
tem renders  accidents  impossible. 

Looking  to  the  right,  down  John  street,  we  see  the  locality  known  as 
Golden  Hill,  where,  on  January  18,  1  770,  a  fight  occurred  between  British 
soldiers  and  "Liberty  Boys,"  because  the  former  had  destroyed  a  liberty  pole. 


General    Post    Office 


St.    Paul's    Chapel 


23 


The  first  blood  of  the  Revolution  was  shed  there,  some  time  before  the 
Boston  Massacre.  The  old  John  Street  Methodist  Church,  wherein  White- 
field  thundered  his  anathemas  against  the  unconverted,  stands  beyond  the 
first  street  east  of  Broadway. 


Park    Row 


24 


HOW  NEW  YORK  SPENDS  ITS  LEISURE 

ARK  ROW  marks  the  divergence  of  the  old  Boston 
turnpike.  It  is  the  busiest  corner  in  New  York — only 
rivalled  by  the  entrance  to  the  Brooklyn  Bridge  at  the 
rush  hours  of  the  morning  and  afternoon.  At  Ann  street 
now  stands  the  St.  Paul  Building,  where,  until  recently, 
was  the  office  of  the  New  York  "Herald."  That  and  the 
Park  Bank  sites  were  occupied  by  Barnum's  Museum,  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1866.  This  "museum"  contained  a  marvellous 
collection  of  rubber  whales,  "woolly"  horses  and 
"wild   men  of   Borneo."      Mr.    Barnum   possessed 

the  war  club  with  which  Captain  Cook  had  been  killed  by  South  Sea 
islanders — or  one  as  terrifying.  There  it  was  that  "General"  Tom  Thumb, 
the  first  of  the  famous  midgets,  held  court  for  nearly  a  generation.  There  it 
was  the  "Liliputian  Wedding"  of  Tom  Thumb  and  Miss  Lavina  Warren, 
afterward  solemnized  at  Grace  Church,  was  arranged  by  Mr.  P.  T. 
Barnum.  The  exterior  of  the  building  was  decorated  with  oval  pictures  of 
impossible  birds  and  beasts,  forming  a  scenic  effect  that  nobody,  once 
beholding  it,  ever  forgot.  The  interior  was  described  as  "a  temple  of 
wonder";  but  the  most  curious  was  Barnum  himself.  He  was  in  evidence 
every  day,  and  took  great  pride  in  walking  upon  the  stage  to  introduce  his 
dwarfs,  giants  or  living  skeletons. 

St.  Paul's  Chapel  is  as  famous  as  Trinity,  although  it  is  only  a  chapel  in 
the  parish.  St.  George's  was  the  first  offshoot  of  the  Parish  church,  and 
stood  at  the  corner  of  Beekman  and  Cliff  streets; 

St.  Paul's  was  the  third.      Its  cornerstone  was  laid  The  Oldest  Church 

in  1  764,  and  it  fronted  upon  the  Hudson,  the  rear  in  New  York 

being  on  Broadway.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  the  oldest  religious  structure 
in  New  York.  The  tablet  upon  the  rear  wall  to  General  Richard  Mont- 
gomery attracts  the  notice  of  the  busiest  pedestrians  on  Broadway.  There 
is  a  suicide's  grave  under  the  street  pavement,  outside  the  church  gate.  The 
son  of  a  rector  of  St.  Paul's  took  his  life  and,  as  the  wardens  would  not 
permit  his  burial  in  the  yard,  his  bones  rest  under  the  feet  of  the  passing 
multitude,  unknown  and  unnamed.  Inside  the  churchyard,  south  of  the 
chapel,  is  the  monument  to  Thomas  Addis  Emmet,  the  Irish  patriot,  remark- 
able for  the  fact  that  the  exact  latitude  and  longitude  of  the  stone  (40°  42' 
40"  N. ;  74  03'  21"  W.  L.  G.)  are  inscribed  thereon.  The  churchyard 
surrounding  St.  Paul's  is  open  every  day,  and  is  an  excellent  place  for 
visitors  to  the  city  to  rest.  It  is  in  the  heart  of  throbbing  activities.  In  this 
chapel  Lord  Howe  worshipped  during  the  British  occupation.     Washington 

25 


City  Hall 


An  Architec- 
tural Blunder 


came  after  him,  and  his  pew  is  pointed  out.  Upon  the  sounding-board  over 
the  pulpit  is  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  Prince  of  Wales.  The  pulpit  is  the 
same  as  that  from  which  the  priest  then  addressed  his  congregation. 

In  the  Astor  House,  several  years  ago,  a  costume  ball  was  given,  at  which 
descendants  of  many  old  families  of  New  York  appeared  in  the  costumes  of 
their  own  grandparents  of  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

The  General  Post  Office,  at  the  junction  of  Park  Row  and  Broadway, 
is  one  of  several  structures  of  similar  composite  architecture  constructed  in 
various  cities  during  the  second  term  of  President 
Grant,  from  drawings  made  by  an  architect  named 
Mullett.  This  one  is  the  least  offensive  of  them, 
because  its  splendid  site  hides  many  of  its  technical  and  architectural  defects. 
Its  architecture  is  a  combination  of  the  Doric  and  the  French  Renaissance, 
than  which  nothing  could  be  more  incongruous.  Its  domes  are  imitations 
of  those  that  surmount  the  Louvre  in  Paris.  The  five  storied  structure  is  of 
light  gray  Maine  granite,  is  fireproof,  and  cost  $6,500,000 — the  city  con- 
tributing the  ground  from  the  City  Hall  Park.  More  than  one  million 
and  a  half  letters  and  parcels — not  including  newspapers — are  handled  every 
week  day  by  its  4,000  employees. 

Looking  toward  North  River  down  Barclay  street,  St.  Peter's  Church  is 
noticed.  It  is  the  home  of  the  oldest  Roman  Catholic  congregation  in  the 
city.     The  first  church  was  erected  in  1  786,  and  rebuilt  as  it  is  now  in  1  839. 


26 


The  City  Hall 
and  Its  Setting 

Notice  the  portrait  of 


Broadway,  between  the  General  Post  Office  and  Chambers  street,  has 
changed  little  during  the  past  thirty  years.  The  Underwood  Typewriter 
Company's  showroom,  at  No.  24 1 ,  supplies  machines  for  the  United  States 
Navy.  Therefore,  we  may  truthfully  say  that,  being  upon  our  ships  in  all 
parts  of  the  world,  the  sun  never  sets  where  the  Underwood  is  at  work. 

Many  historic  memories  cluster  about  City  Hall  Park.  The  head- 
quarters of  the  municipal  government  is  in  the  handsome  edifice  known 
as  the  City  Hall.  When  finished,  in  1812,  at  a  cost  of  half  a  million  dol- 
lars, it  was  in  the  northern  suburbs.  It  is  a  perfect  specimen  of  the  Italian 
style,  the  front  and  two  ends  being  of  white  marble.  It  is  2  1  6  feet  in  length, 
1  05  feet  in  depth,  and  contains  the  Mayor's  Offices 
and  the  Aldermanic  Chamber.  The  most  interesting 
room  in  the  building  is  at  the  head  of  the  winding 
staircase,  and  is  known  as  the  "Governor's  Room. 
Henry  Hudson.  This  fine  apartment  is  the  scene  of  official  receptions. 
There  is  the  desk  upon  which  Washington  wrote  his  first  Message  to  Con- 
gress and  the  chair  in  which  he  was  inaugurated  President. 

Directly  east  of  the  City  Hall  stood,  until  recently,  the  old  British  prison, 
in  which  several  hundred  Continental  patriots  died  during  the  Revolution. 
It  was  used  as  a  Hall  of  Records  until  the  deeds  were  transferred  to  the  new 
building  on  Chambers  street,  when  it  was  removed  to  make  way  for  a  station 
of  the  Subway.  In  front 
of  the  entrance  to  City 
Hall,  upon  the  pavement, 
is  a  large  bronze  tablet, 
marking  the  place  at  which 
ground  was  broken  for  the 
splendid  system  of  under- 
ground rapid  transit.  On 
the  Broadway  side  of  the 
Park  is  the  fine  bronze 
statue  of  Nathan  Hale,  by 
Macmonnies,  set  up  by 
the  Society  of  the  Sons 
of  the  Revolution.  This 
figure  is  that  of  a  youth, 
and  his  pinioned  arms 
indicate  that  the  moment 
chosen  was  that  in  which 
the  hero-martyr  exclaimed: 
"I  regret  that  I  have  only 
one    life    to    lose    for    my 


^^tfJuC.'- 


27 


country!"     Hale  was  executed  at  a  point  near  what  is  now  First  avenue  and 
Forty-fifth  street.      He  was  the  only  editor  ever  hanged  in  New  York. 

Where  Temple  Court  now  stands,  on  Beekman  street,  was  a  theatre,  in 
which  "Hamlet"  was  first  produced  in  America  (1761).  Printing  House 
Square,  with  its  newspaper  offices  and  its  statues  of  Benjamin  Franklin  and 
Horace  Greeley,  is  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Park,  in  front  of  the  Tribune 
and  Sun  offices.  The  tall  dome  of  the  World  Building  was  for  several  years 
the  loftiest  structure  in  the  city.  The  entrance  to  the  original  Brooklyn 
Bridge  is  at  the  side  of  the  World  office.  Upon  the  point  of  land  be- 
tween Park  Row  and  Centre  street  stood  Storm's  Hotel,  with  which  the 
name  of  John  Jacob  Astor  was  curiously  associated.  A  faithful  clerk  in  his 
employ  was  retired  at  the  age  of  sixty,  and  the  fur  merchant  asked  him 
whether  he  would  choose  free  board  at  Storm's  for  the  rest  of  his  life  or 
$  1 ,000  in  cash.  The  clerk  chose  the  former  offer,  and  lived  there  in  one  of 
the  best  rooms  for  twenty  years,  much  to  Astor's  chagrin  at  his  own  liberality. 

The  tall  Scott  &  Bowne  Building  nearby  is  the 

.   _  headquarters    of    Scott's    "Emulsion,"    extensively 

A  Famous  ^  .     ...     .  f  T 

Life  Preserver  usec*  to   sustain  Me  in   cases  or  consumption.      Its 

fame  is  worldwide. 

Brooklyn  Bridge  was  the  first  of  the  structures  connecting  Manhattan  with 
Long  Island.  It  was  begun  January  3,  1870,  and  was  opened  May  24, 
1 883,  with  imposing  ceremonies,  attended  by  President  Arthur.  It  is  a 
suspension,  over  towers  of  masonry.  Its  length  between  anchorages  is 
3,455 J/2  feet;  tne  Manhattan  approach  is  1 ,5 7 7 J/2  and  the  Brooklyn  ap- 
proach 983  feet,  or  a  total  length  of  6,016  feet.  Clearance,  at  high  water, 
133  feet.  Its  width,  over  all,  is  86  feet,  carrying  two  roadways,  each  18 
feet  wide,  and  a  footway.    Average  traffic,  18,000  vehicles;  437,000  people. 

Cherry  Hill,  now  the  "toughest"  locality  in  the  city,  and  easiest  reached 
from  City  Hall  through  Frankfort  street,  was  for  more  than  half  a  century 
the  centre  of  wealth  and  fashion.  Its  name  was  derived  from  the  fine  house 
and  grounds  of  a  wealthy  English  maltster,  Richard  Sacket,  which  he  had 
christened  "Cherry  Gardens."  As  such  it  was  afterwards  known  as  a  place 
of  entertainment.  The  first  Presidential  mansion  was  in  Franklin  Square. 
A  bronze  tablet  upon  one  of  the  Brooklyn  Bridge  arches  marks  the  site.  The 
Walton  house  stood  across  Pearl  street  from  Harper  &  Brothers'  establish- 
ment until  1  88  1 ,  when  it  was  demolished.  A  lavish  dinner  that  William 
Walton  gave  to  a  party  of  British  officials  had  much  to  do  with  bringing  on 
the  war  for  American  Independence.  Representations  were  made  to  the 
home  government  that  the  American  colonists  were  rolling  in  wealth  and 
ought  to  bear  heavier  burdens.  Then  followed  the  increased  taxes  that  led 
to  the  revolt.  The  first  New  York  bank  was  organized  at  a  social  gathering 
of  Mr.    Walton's  wealthy  friends. 

28 


Reading   from   top — The   Ghetto,    Chinatown,    The    Bowery 


The  first  house  in  New  York  to  be  lighted  by  gas  stood  at  No.  7  Cherry 
street.  At  No.  27  the  first  American  flag  of  stars  and  stripes  was  made 
(1818).  Captain  Samuel  C.  Reid,  hero  of  Fayal,  suggested  the  thirteen 
bars  and  a  star  for  each  State. 

Turning  off  Broadway  at  Ann  street,  into  Park  Row,  we  must  remember 
that  Chatham  street  is  no  longer  in  existence — the  name  was  changed  in 
1  886.  The  title  is  found  at  the  Square  upon  the  hill-side,  at  the  end  of  the 
crowded  thoroughfare.  But  the  Earl  of  Chatham  will  never  be  forgotten 
by  New  Yorkers.  This  Square  and  Pitt  street  show  recognition  of  the  friend 
of  the  American  colonists.  Chatham  died  on  April  7,  1  778,  uttering  a  last 
protest  against  the  repression  which  the  King  had  undertaken  to  inflict  upon 
the  colonists.  The  scene  is  historical  in  which  he  was  borne  into  the  House 
of  Lords  in  order  to  say:  "You  cannot  conquer  the  Americans!  Your 
powerful  forces  may  ravage;  they  cannot  conquer!  As  well  might  I  talk  of 
driving  them  before  me  with  this  crutch.  You  have  sent  too  many  to  make 
peace;  too  few  to  make  war.  We  are  the  aggressors.  We  have  waged 
war  for  unconditional  submission;  let  us  try  what  can  be  accomplished  by 
unconditional  redress." 

The  earliest  American  Kissing  Bridge  spanned  a  small  creek  where  Bayard 

street  now  begins.      This  little  thoroughfare  recalls  Nicholas  Bayard,  Peter 

Stuyvesant's  nephew,  whose  knowledge  of  English 
The  Eventful  J  K  .  . °.  ,        .  . 

made  him  persona  grata  with  the  bntish  when  his 

uncle  surrendered  New  Amsterdam  to  Colonel 
Nicholas  for  the  King  of  England  in  1664.  Never  did  a  man  suffer  more 
vicissitudes  of  fortune.  When  the  Dutch  recovered  the  city  he  became  Secre- 
tary of  the  Province,  but  was  thrown  into  jail  when  the  English  came  back  in 
the  following  year.  Subsequently  he  was  forgiven  and  made  mayor  of  the 
city,  but  became  a  fugitive  when  King  James  abdicated;  was  caught  by  Leis- 
ler  and  imprisoned.  Again  he  rose,  after  Leisler's  downfall,  but  was  soon 
charged  with  treason  and  convicted.  Before  sentence  could  be  approved  by 
the  home  government  Bayard  died  of  illness  and  chagrin.  All  these  changes 
came  to  him  in  forty-seven  years.  A  mound  raised  over  his  grave  was  used 
after  the  Revolution  to  fill  the  Collect  Pond,  located  where  the  City  Prison 
now  stands.  Therefore  it  is  probable  that  his  bones  rest  under  a  prison 
instead  of  inside  one. 

Opposite  No.  1  66  Park  Row  (formerly  called  Chatham  street)  was  a 
historic  well,  known  as  "Tea  Water  Pump,"  because  the  old  women  who 

indulged  in  that  decoction  thought  the  water  had 

The  Drama  in  •   ,  ««  ,        .      ,,  D  .  t  j 

special     drawing     properties,     between  James  and 

Roosevelt  streets,  on  the  east  side,  stood  the  Chatham 

Theatre,  at  which  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  had  its  initial  performance  in  1852. 

The  slang  phrase,  "Wake  me  when  Kirby  dies!"  comes  from  this  locality. 

30 


About  1839  a 
prodigy  a  p  - 
Chatham 
wasn't 


3 

frfrliililllliili 


Paradise  Park 


City   Prison 


young  dramatic 
peared  at  the 
Theatre.  He 
actor,  accord- 
standards,  but 
crowds,"  be- 
son    Kirby    re- 


a  n  m 
ing  to  present  | 
he  ''drew 
cause  J.  Hud- 
served  his  strength  for  the  climax  of  the  tragedies  in  which  he  invariably 
appeared,  depicting  death  and  bloodshed.  He  would  walk  through  the  parts 
of  Richard  III  or  Virginius,  for  example,  until  the  "killing"  began;  then  he 
would  roar  and  rant,  slash  and  parry,  advance  and  retreat  in  ways  that  gave 
to  New  Yorkers  paroxysms  of  delight.  As  a  very  natural  consequence,  half 
the  audience  would  deliberately  go  to  sleep  during  the  first  acts  of  his  per- 
formance, asking  to  be  awakened  for  the  death  scene — always  worth  the 
price  of  admission. 

From  the  eastern  side  of  Chatham  Square  the  latest  addition  to  the  bridges 
across  East  River,  Manhattan,  starts.  It  was  begun  February  4,  1  903,  and 
will  be  opened  January  1,1910.  It  is  suspended  from  steel  towers.  Length 
of  the  main  bridge  is  2,920  feet;  Manhattan  approach  2,067  and  Brooklyn 
1,868  feet,  or  a  total  length  of  6,855  feet.  Tracks  for  four  surface  rail- 
ways and  four  elevated  or  subway  tracks  will  give  it  transportation  facilities 
for  1  20,000  passengers,  each  direction,  per  hour.  A  roadway  for  vehicles 
35  feet  wide  and  two  foot-walks  1  1  feet  each.  The  top  of  the  steel  piers  is 
336  feet  above  mean  high  water.  There  are  only  two  suspension  bridges  in 
the  world  with  longer  river  spans,  namely,  Brooklyn,  1 ,595 ]/2,  and  Williams- 


3* 


burgh,    1,600  feet.      The  Manhattan  is   1,470  feet.      The  Frith  of  Forth 

cantilever  bridge  has  a  channel  span  of  1,710  feet. 

Chatham  Square  has  been  destroyed  by  the  elevated  railroad  structure. 

What  is  a  hillside  now  was  in  early  days  a  pasture  with  fine  trees.     Near  the 

point  where  Doyers  street  enters  the  square,  on  the  west  side,  stood  the  house 

in  which  Charlotte  Temple  died.     Recent  investigation  shows  the  career  of 

that  young  lady  to  have  been  quite  different  from  that  so  romantically  set 

forth  in  Mrs.  Susanna  Rowson's  novel. 

A  visit  to  Chinatown  should  not  be  omitted  by  the  stranger  in  New  York. 

It  lies  westward  of  Chatham  Square,  and  is  seen  to  admirable  advantage 
upon  the  automobiles  of  the  "Seeing  New  York 
Company,"  which  make  tours  thereto  every  night 
and,  by  a  special  arrangement,  secure  admission  for 

their  patrons  to  the  Joss  Temple,  and  furnish  a  Chinese  "chop-suey"  supper 

at  the  best  Mongolian  restaurant. 

Chinatown  proper  comprises  a  triangular  part  of  the  city  bounded  by 

Mott   and   Doyers   streets   and   Paradise   Square.      It   is   teeming  with   life. 

Natives  of  the  Middle   Kingdom,   in   their  home  garb,   throng  the  streets. 

Shops  confined  exclusively  to  the  sale  of  Chinese  goods  are  seen  upon  all  sides. 
A  visit  to  the  Joss  House,  on  the  north  side  of  Mott  street,  where  the 

disciples  of  Confucius  go  at  regular  periods  for  reasons  of  prayer  and  incense 

burning  to  their  gods,  is  exceedingly  interesting.      Great  sheets  of  fiery  red 


Curious  Customs 
of  Chinatown 


The    Cooper    Union 


32 


placards  are  at  the  door.  This  is  Chinatown's  bulletin  board — or,  speaking 
more  exactly,  newspaper.  Here  the  Mongolians  learn  what  is  going  on. 
During  the  war  between  Japan  and  Russia  this  spot  was  thronged  every 
hour  of  the  day.  The  Chinese  recognized  the  importance  of  that  contest  to 
their  mighty  empire.  After  ascending  two  flights  of  steps,  the  home  of  the 
sacred  joss  is  entered.  The  chief  idol  is  under  a  canopy.  Silent  priests,  in 
silken  robes,  are  tending  the  lamps  and  keeping  the  incense  tubes  aglow.  One 
lamp  is  never  allowed  to  go  out. 

If  the  stranger  be  in  New  York  during  the  week's  "Feast  of  Lanterns," 
Chinatown  should  always  be  visited.  This  is  one  of  the  most  romantic  of 
all  Chinese  myths.  Two  stories  exist  regarding  its  origin:  One  is  that  a 
beautiful  girl,  daughter  of  a  great  mandarin,  got  lost,  and  her  father  offered 
all  his  fabulous  wealth  to  those  who  should  find  her.  The  whole  Chinese 
world  turned  out  with  lanterns  to  make  the  search.  The  child  never  was 
found,  so  the  hopeful  Chinese  have  perpetuated  the  custom  for  3,500  years, 
in  hope  of  coming  upon  the  beautiful  creature  in  some  reincarnation — and 
getting  the  millions  of  "cash"  that  will  now  have  multiplied  by  compound 
interest  into  a  sum  sufficient  to  buy  this  earth  and  every  planet  in  the  solar 
system. 

The  other  version  of  the  myth  is  that  a  great  king  shut  himself  up  in  his 
palace  for  three  weeks,  illuminating  every  window,  and,  by  successfully  ex- 
cluding all  earthly  strife,  made  a  heaven  within  the  castle  walls.  But  he  for- 
got his  subjects,  and  they  grew  enraged,  tore  down  his  palace  and  amputated 
his  head.  Therefore  is  the  Feast  of  Lanterns  a  rebuke  and  a  warning  to 
selfishness  and  too  much  happiness.  The  Chinese  observe  it  with  never- 
flagging   religious   fervor. 

Having  visited  the  Chinese  shops  and  restaurants,  a  few  hundred  feet  takes 
us  into  the  Ghetto — the  home  of  the  foreign  Jewish  element  in  this  cosmo- 
politan city.  Especially  notice  the  street  lined  with  pushcart  venders,  striving 
to  sell  all  manner  of  notions  to  the  poverty-stricken  populace  that  swarms  out 
of  the  tall  tenements  to  handle  the  wares  upon  their  "bargain  counters." 

Williamsburg  Bridge,  begun  November  26,  1896,  opened  December  19, 
1903,  has  its  Manhattan  approach  through  a  new  boulevard,  where  Delan- 
cey  street  used  to  be.  It  is  suspended  upon  steel  towers  and  its  length  be- 
tween anchorages  is  2,793  feet.  The  Manhattan  approach  is  2,650,  Wil- 
liamsburg approach  1,865  feet,  or  a  total  length  of  7,308  feet.  Its  capacity 
is  such  that  in  addition  to  two  roadways  for  ve- 
hicles  and   two   foot-walks   there   are   four   surface 

The  Bowery 
and  two  elevated  railway  tracks,  capable  of  trans- 
porting 60,000  passengers  each  way  per  hour.     Its  average  traffic  is  1  1,521 
vehicles  and  168,372  people  per  day. 

Upon  the  region  which  Jan  von  de  Laet,  the  Dutch  traveler,  who  visited 

33 


New  Amsterdam  in  1  626, 
described  to  his  country- 
men as  the  "schoonste 
landte  om  te  bouwen"  (fin- 
est land  for  tilling),  the 
name  of  Bowery  soon  be- 
came engrafted.  New- 
comers set  up  a  bouwerie, 
or  farm,  and  registered  as 
a  bouwer  (or  boer) — a 
tiller  of  the  land.  Gov- 
ernor Stuyvesant  ultimate- 
ly claimed  1 ,000  acres, 
through  which  ran  the 
"Bowery  road." 

Now  we  are  back  at  the 
City  Hall,  and  directly  be- 
hind it  is  the  Court  House 
of  New  York  County 
(which  is  co-equal  with 
Manhattan  Borough).  It 
will  always  be  known  as 
"Tweed's  Court  House," 
because  it  cost  the  tax- 
payers about  $12,000,- 
000,  or  fully  six  times  the 
actual  outlay.  Begun  in 
1  86  1 ,  it  languished  during 

the  Civil  War,  and  its  dome  is  still  uncompleted.  The  interior  is  finished 
in  the  cheapest,  shabbiest  fashion.  The  stairways  are  of  iron.  The  exterior 
is  of  Massachusetts  marble  and  the  style  Corinthian.  The  Criminal  Courts 
have  recently  been  transferred  to  an  ornate  stone  and  red  brick  structure  on 
Centre  street,  adjoining  the  City  Prison.  The  latter  was  known  as  "The 
Tombs"  before  the  Egyptian  structure  was  replaced  by  a  replica  of  the  Paris 
jail  from  which  Marie  Antoinette  was  driven  forth  to  execution.  These  city 
institutions  stand  where  was  a  pond  in  early  days. 

Chambers  street,  at  the  northern  side  of  City  Hall  Park,  was  the  site  of 
Palmo's  Opera  House  and  Burton's  Theatre.  The  new  Hall  of  Records, 
at  Centre  street  corner,  is  the  most  imposing  modern  municipal  edifice  in 
Greater  New  York.  It  cost  $7,500,000.  The  columns  that  support  the 
cornice  are  handsome  monoliths,  and  cost  $20,000  each.  It  is  separated 
from  all  other  buildings,  and  its  vaults,  for  the  preservation  of  copies  of  the 


34 


title  deeds  to  the  billions  of  real  estate  upon  Manhattan  Island,  are  absolutely 
fireproof. 

Broadway  is  filled  with  memories.  In  a  show  window,  near  Duane  street, 
the  first  sewing  machine  was  exhibited,  with  a  young  woman  working  it. 
Curiosity  was  excited,  but  sales  were  not  stimulated.  Like  the  telephone  at 
the  time  of  its  introduction,  the  sewing  machine  was  regarded  as  a  toy. 

On  the  left,  opposite  Pearl  street,  stood  the  old  steel-blue  stone  structure  of 
the  New  York  Hospital,  now  removed  to  West  Fifteenth  street.  On  Thomas 
street,  since  that  time  opened  through  to  Broadway,  but  then  starting  at  the 
rear  of  the  hospital  grounds,  occurred  the  mysterious  murder,  never  cleared 
up,  for  which  Edgar  Allan  Poe  offered  a  logical  but  fanciful  solution  in  his 
famous  tale,  "The  Murders  in  the  Rue  Morgue."  Horace  Greeley,  when 
a  journeyman  printer,  lived  there  in  a  boarding  house. 

The  old  Broadway  Theatre  stood  on  the  east  side  of  Broadway,  near 
Pearl  street,  and  on  the  next  block  above  was  the  first  of  the  series  of  Broad- 
way   Tabernacles,    that    after    moving    to    Thirty- 
fourth  street    (Herald  Square)    has  culminated  in  Abolitionism 
the  ornate  white  structure  at  Fifty-sixth  street.      It 

was  the  rostrum  of  the  Abolitionists  from  which  for  two  generations  Ameri- 
can slavery  was  constantly  denounced.  To  the  right  down  Worth  street  is 
Paradise  Park,  where  was  the  Five  Points,  a  slum  centre  of  crime  for  a 
century  and  a  half.  During  the  slave  insurrection  fourteen  negroes,  suspected 
of  incendiarism,  were  burned  at  the  stake  on  the  present  site  of  Paradise 
Park.  The  Five  Points  House  of  Industry,  sustained  by  voluntary  contri- 
butions and  some  city  help,  is  seen  on  the  north  side.  Looking  westward 
on  Worth  street,  we  find  at  the  corner  of  the  first  street  the  mammoth  dry 
goods  warehouse  of  the  H.  B.  Claflin  Company,  the  largest  wholesale  ware- 
house in  America. 

Here,  on  the  right,  at  No.  400,  are  the  warerooms  of  the  Herring-Hall- 
Marvin  Safe  Company,  the  safes  of  which  were  the  only  ones  that  withstood 
the  heat  of  the  terrible  fire  in  Baltimore  and  protected  from  injury  the  valu- 
able books  they  contained. 

Canal  street  is  the  widest  thoroughfare  on  Manhattan  Island.     An  open 

canal  once  extended  from  the  North  River  to  the  foot  of  the  hill  beyond 

Centre  street.      Tattersall's  was  on  the  east  side  of 

Where  "Humpty 
Broadway,  above  Howard  street,  and  the  Olympic  Dumpty"  Played 

Theatre,    where    George    L.    Fox    delighted    our 

fathers,  was  adjacent;  and  the  first  of  the  Tiffany  jewelry  shops  stood  on 

Broadway,  east  side,  above  Spring  street.     St.  Thomas's  Church  was  at  the 

corner  of  Houston.      It  is  now  on  Fifth  avenue,  at  Fifty-third  street.      Dr. 

Chapin's  original  church  was  at  No.   548,  and  Christy's  Minstrels  at  No. 

728.     The  Metropolitan  Hotel,  built  by  A.  T.  Stewart,  was  at  the  north- 

35 


west  corner  of  Prince  street.  Within  it  was  Niblo's  Garden,  world-famous 
as  the  home  of  the  "Black  Crook."  The  Ravels,  Lydia  Thompson  and 
other  memorable  names  were  associated  with  it. 

At  a  little  hotel  on  the  corner  of  Eighth  street,  now  torn  down,  the  de- 
fender of  American  prowess  against  Tom  Sayers,  champion  of  England, 
John  C.  Heenan,  the  "Benicia  Boy,"  spent  his  last  days.  He  was  buried 
from  a  house  nearby.  Police  Headquarters  will  be  found  in  its  new  home 
at  Centre  street,  Broome  and  Grand  streets. 

Looking  eastward  on  Bond  street,  at  No.  3 1 ,  is  the  site  of  the  most 
famous  murder  that  ever  occurred  in  this  city — that 
of  Dr.  Burdell  (1857),  for  which  Mrs.  Cunning- 
ham was  tried.  She  was  defended  by  Henry  L. 
Clinton,  and  prosecuted  by  A.  Oakey  Hall,  the  youngest  District  Attorney 
New  York  City  ever  had.  In  the  battered  old  four-story  dwelling  at  No.  47 
Bond  street,  where  the  Shaw  family  lived  in  the  forties,  the  poem  of  "The 


Where  Poe  Wrote 
"The  Bells" 


Union   Square, 
looking  North 


Church    of   the    Ascension 


36 


Bells"  was  written  by  Edgar  Allan  Poe.  The  Shaws  were  friends  of  Mrs. 
Poe,  and  when  the  poet  was  kept  in  town  too  late  to  get  to  Fordham  he  gen- 
erally went  to  the  Shaws'  to  sleep.  The  inspiration  for  the  verses  was  given 
by  the  clanging  of  church  bells,  which  awakened  him  there  on  Sunday 
morning. 

Great  Jones,  the  next  street  up  town,  was  the  property  of  Samuel  Jones, 
grandson  of  Chief  Justice  David  Jones  (1  782),  described  for  a  half  century 
as  "the  father  of  the  New  York  bar." 

Astor  Place,  on  the  right,  is  historic  ground.  The  large  building  fronting 
the  plaza  is  Clinton  Hall,  a  new  structure  owned  by  the  Mercantile  Library 
standing  on  the  site  of  the  original  building,  named  in  honor  of  De  Witt 
Clinton,  who  contributed  the  first  library  book  in  1  820.  This  open  square 
was  the  scene  of  the  Macready-Forrest  riots  in  1 849.  To  the  south,  on 
Lafayette  street,  is  the  original  foundation  of  the  Astor  Library,  now  trans- 
ferred to  the  beautiful  building  at  Fifth  avenue  and  Forty-second  street.  In 
Colonnade  Row  lived  Washington  Irving. 

At  a  western  corner  of  Ninth  street  is  the  establishment  of  Arnheim,  the 
Tailor,  who  has  created  one  of  the  largest  trades  in  his  special  branch  of 
manufacturing  existing  in  the  metropolis. 

The  beautiful  white  spire  of  Grace  Church  is  not  more  imposing  than  is 
the  Fleischmann  Vienna  Bakery,  on  the  opposite  side  of  Broadway.  Near 
this  corner,  for  twenty  years,  has  formed  at  midnight,  summer  and  winter, 
the  famous  "Bread  Line."  This  good  man's  practical  sympathy  for  suffer- 
ing human  hearts  has  been  charmingly  described  by  John  Alden,  a  descend- 
ant of  the  young  Puritan  who  "spoke  for  himself"  and  married  Priscilla. 
Of  Fleischmann,  Alden  wrote: 

He   did  not   pay    big   salaries   to   investigate   the    poor  ; 

That's   why   his   light   above   the    rest   shines    like   a   Kohinoor — 

Remembering,    in    simplicity,   just   what   the    Master   said. 

He   simply   found    the    hungry,    and    he   simply   gave   them    bread/' 

The  noble  Louis  Fleischmann  is  now  dead;  but  his  charity  is  continued 
by  special  provision  in  his  will  and  with  the  hearty  co-operation  of  his  two 
sons. 

Grace  Church,  after  Trinity,  is  the  wealthiest  Protestant  Episcopal  con- 
gregation in  New  York,  and,  strange  to  say,  its  first  edifice  stood  on  Broad- 
way,  where   the   Empire    Building   rises   to-day — 
cheek  by  jowl  with  Trinity.      The  present  build- 
ing was  finished  in    1845,  and,  until  the  comple- 
tion of  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral,  was  the  best  specimen  of  the  pure  Gothic  in 
the  city.      From  a  strategic  viewpoint  its  position  is  marvellously  fine.      Situ- 
ated at  a  deflection  in  Broadway,  it  is  distinctly  visible  from  the  Bowling 
Green,  and  from  that  point  apparently  closes  the  great  thoroughfare,  just  as 

37 


Tower  of  Madison  Square  Garden 


Dr.  Parkhurst's 
church  fronting 
Madison  Square 


Metropolitan    Life    Building 


Trinity  ends  Wall  street's  further  progress.  The  rectory,  of  recent  con- 
struction, is  a  delightful  example  of  the  subordinated  treatment  of  a  difficult 
architectural  proposition.  Do  not  fail  to  notice  a  colossal  terra-cotta  jar  in 
the  front  yard.  It  was  found  fifty  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  pavements 
of  modern  Rome.  Miss  Catherine  Wolfe  gave  the  money  to  build  the 
exquisite  little  chantry  at  the  southern  side  of  the  main  edifice.  When  you 
visit  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  you  will  see  her  greatest  thoughtful- 
ness  for  the  American  people  in  the  collection  of  paintings  this  charming  lady 
gave  to  that  institution.  One  of  the  interesting  practical  chanties  in  this  great 
city  is  in  the  rear  of  Grace  Church — the  day  nursery,  erected  by  former 
Vice-President  Levi  P.   Morton  as  a  memorial  to  his  wife,  where  working 


38 


women  can  bring  their  children  to  be  cared  for  while  they  are  earning  a 
living. 

Union  Square  is  worth  a  special  visit.  Its  statues  of  Washington,  Lafayette 
and  Lincoln  are  among  the  best  in  America.  Around  this  oval,  at  one  period 
or  another  of  the  city's  growth,  dwelt  many  famous  men.  The  park  itself  is 
about  three  acres  in  extent,  and,  since  the  removal  of  a  tall  iron  fence  that  for- 
merly surrounded  it,  gives  a  fine  vista  into  upper  Broadway.  Daniel  Drew 
lived  until  his  death  in  a  house  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Seventeenth  street. 

East,  on  Fourteenth  street,  beyond  Union  Square,  is  Steinway  Hall,  for 
nearly  forty  years  headquarters  of  the  Steinway  pianos.  The  value  of  a  good 
name  in  trade  is  such  that  its  possessor  does  not  have  to  move  every  time  a 
commercial  centre  shifts.  The  Steinway  pianos  are  exactly  what  they  have 
always  been.  At  this  hall  Mme.  Christine  Nilsson  and  many  other  world- 
famous  singers  have  been  heard  in  concert.  It  was  the  seat  of  music  in 
America  until  Carnegie  Hall  was  built. 

Beyond  Steinway  Hall,  to  the  eastward  and  on  the  south  side  of  Four- 
teenth street,  is  a  famous  restaurant,  the  especial  pride  of  the  German- 
American  element — "Liichow's."  This  New  York  restaurant  is  much  fre- 
quented by  the  musical  element.  Not  long  ago  Paderewski  thereat  accom- 
panied Jean  de  Reszke  in  a  solo,  and  Edouard  de  Reszke  joined  in  the 
refrain.  Liichow  controls  the  American  output  of  the  famous  Wiirzburger 
and  Pilsener  beers. 


The    Washington    Arch 


39 


THE  SOCIAL  HEART  OF  NEW  YORK 


N  order  to  see  the  social  side  of  modern  New  York,  let  us 
return  to  Broadway  and  turn  westward  at  Waverley  Place 
to  the  historic  parade-ground  known  as  Washington 
Square.  This  eight  acres  of  land  was  once  the  Potter's 
Field  of  the  young  city,  and  the  bones  of  1  00,000  name- 
less citizens  of  a  century  or  more  ago  lie  there  hiding  their 
griefs  and  disappointed  ambitions.  The  large  white  building  of  stone  and 
brick,  at  the  University  Place  corner,  occupies  the  old  site  of  the  New  York 
University — now  removed  to  Morris  Heights,  north  of  the  Harlem — al- 
though some  departments  still  occupy  this  building.  It  was  made  famous 
by  Theodore  Winthrop's  posthumous  novel,  "Cecil  Dreeme."  The  young 
author,  while  living,  suffered  the  same  neglect  and  non-success  as  the  unfor- 
tunate Bizet,  composer  of  "Carmen,"  who  died  of  chagrin.  But  Winthrop 
was  vouchsafed  a  glorious  death  in  battle.  He  was  killed  at  Big  Bethel, 
one  of  the  first  combats  of  the  Civil  War,  and  his  rejected  manuscripts  were 
then  published  under  the  patronage  of  the  late  George  William  Curtis. 

In  this  Square  stands  the  Washington   Memorial  Arch,   an  ornate  and 

chaste  architectural  reminder  of  the  centenary  celebration,  in  April,   1  889,  of 

Washington's  inauguration  as  First  President  of  the 

'    .  Republic.      The  white  marble  structure  is  70  feet 

Memorial  Arch 

in  height,  and  is  yet  to  be  surmounted  by  an  eques- 
trian statue  of  the  Father  of  His  Country,  facing  up  Fifth  avenue.  It  has 
cost  $128,000  up  to  date,  raised  by  voluntary  contributions.  The  city 
accepted  the  gift  in  May,  1895. 

From  Washington  Arch,  Fifth  avenue  stretches  northward  six  miles  to 
Mount  Morris  Square,  where  its  continuity  is  interrupted;  but,  resuming  its 
course,  the  avenue  continues  to  the  Harlem  River,  at  One  Hundred  and 
Forty-third  street.  For  fifty  years  it  has  been  the  most  fashionable  residence 
street  of  this  continent.  Business  is  rapidly  invading  it.  Many  prominent 
clubs  are  on  Fifth  avenue  or  adjacent  thereto.  Some  of  the  most  costly 
residences  in  American  will  be  passed  between  this  Marble  Arch  and  the 
Ninetieth  street  entrance  to  the  Central  Park.  Originally  brownstone  was 
the  building  material  employed,  but  exquisite  variety  has  lately  been  given  to 
the  avenue's  architecture.  The  "American  basement"  is  supplanting  the 
"high  stoop"  residence.  Especially  to  be  noticed  during  our  drive  are  the 
French  chateau  of  the  late  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  the  beautiful  house  of 
W.  K.  Vanderbilt,  that  of  the  late  C.  P.  Huntington,  the  Astor  dwelling, 
that  of  Flbridge  T.  Gerry,  and  the  palaces  built  by  Yerkes,  Whitney,  Wil- 
liam A.  Clark  and  Andrew  Carnegie. 

40 


Lord   &   Taylor    Building 


A  tour  along  this  fa- 
mous avenue  takes  the  vis- 
itor through  the  social 
heart  of  New  York.  The 
first  house  on  the  left, 
fronting  upon  Washington 
Square,  is  the  seat  of  the 
Rhinelander  family;  upon 
the  opposite  corner  is  the 
residence  of  William  But- 
ler Duncan,  who  comes 
of  a  race  of  bankers. 
Lispenard  Stewart  dwells 
at  No.  6.  General  Dan- 
iel E.  Sickles  has  his  home 
at  No.  23;  he  has  been 
statesman,  soldier,  diplo- 
mat and  sheriff  of  New 
York.  Cyrus  W.  Field, 
who  laid  the  first  Atlantic 
cable,    lived    at    No.    45; 

Robert  B.  Roosevelt,  an  uncle  of  President  Roosevelt,  dwelt  at  No.  57. 
Much  property  on  Fifth  avenue  between  Eighth  and  Tenth  streets  is  owned 
by    "Sailors'    Snug    Harbor,"    a    splendid    charity 

founded    on    Staten    Island    by    Captain    Robert  Historic  Wash- 

Richard  Randall  in    1801    for  aged  seamen.      Its  '"gton  Square 

rent  roll  exceeds  $500,000. 

The  Episcopal  Church  of  the  Ascension  contains  the  largest  ecclesiastical 
painting  in  America.  Upon  a  canvas  40  feet  square  John  La  Farge  has 
represented  "The  Ascension  of  Christ."  The  work  occupied  two  years, 
cost  $30,000,  and  is  a  gift  of  the  Misses  Rhinelander.  The  First  Pres- 
byterian Church,  standing  in  a  full  block  front,  on 
the  west  side,  is  the  alma  mater  of  Calvinism  in  this 
part  of  the  world.     This  church  was  founded  in  the 

old  State  House  in  1717,  and  Rev.  Dr.  John  Rogers,  called  "the  Father 
of  Presbyterianism  in  America,"  was  one  of  its  early  pastors.  It  is  a  hand- 
some Gothic  structure  in  brownstone. 

West  Fourteenth  street  is  to-day  the  Grand  street  of  forty  years  ago.  Its 
retail  shops  are  large  and  crowded  from  opening  until  closing  hours.  At  the 
northeast  corner  stood  the  Delmonico's  of  thirty-five  years  ago.  Farther 
west,  on  Fourteenth  street,  and  in  the  same  block,  still  stands  the  Van  Buren 
house,  a  three  story  structure  in  large  grounds,  which  was  long  ago  the  seat 


The  Famous  La 
Farge  Painting 


4r 


of  New  York  hospitality.  Directly  opposite  was  the  original  location  of  the 
Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  which  stands  to-day  in  Central  Park  and 
is  rapidly  taking  rank  among  the  great  collections  of  the  world.  On  Broad- 
way, near  Nineteenth  street,  is  a  business  house  which  has  the  unique  attract- 
iveness of  a  museum — that  of  Vantine  &  Company.  It  contains  treasures 
gathered  from  every  corner  of  the  earth,  the  greater  part  being  Oriental 
bronze,  ivories,  porcelains  and  other  Eastern  curios.  The  enormous  Broad- 
way building  is  supplemented  by  a  huge  warehouse  at  Eighteenth  street  and 
Broadway,  and  the  house  has  branch  establishments  in  Boston  and  Phila- 
delphia. 

Lord  &  Taylor's  great  dry  goods  house  at  Twentieth  street  is  one  of 
the  institutions  that  have  redounded  to  the  commercial  glory  of  the  American 

.      _.  .  metropolis.     The  business  started  in  Catherine  street 

An  Old  r 

Business  House  ninety  years  ago,  when  that  region  was  the  shop- 

ping centre  of  the  city,  and  by  progressive  steps  has 
reached  the  florescence  of  success  in  this  large  structure,  thronged  daily  with 
the  best  class  of  purchasers.     Everything  purchased  over  those  counters  has 


*     i 


The    Holland    House 


Collegiate   Church 


-1-' 


The    Tiklen-Astor-Lcnox    Public    Library 


with  it  a  personal  guarantee  of  excellence  from  which  there  never  is  any  de- 
viation. 

One  of  the  oldest  business  houses  in  New  York,  which  has  grown  up 
from  a  small  establishment  incorporated  seventy-five  years  ago,  is  the  grocery 
house  of  Park  &  Tilford,  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Broadway  and  Twenty- 
first  street.  The  firm  has  four  other  houses  in  this  city,  besides  its  warehouse. 
After  the  death  of  the  original  members  of  the  firm  of  Park  &  Tilford  the 
business  was  carried  on  by  the  sons  of  the  house,  and  Mr.  Park  having 
recently  closed  out  his  interest,  the  concern  continues  with  Mr.  Tilford  as 
president  and  Mr.  J.  R.  Agnew  as  vice-president. 

The  business  machinery  of  the  Presbyterian  and  Methodist  Churches  is 
managed  from  the  two  buildings  on  opposite  sides  of  Fifth  avenue,  at 
Twentieth  street.  At  Twenty-first  street,  on  the  two  northern  corners, 
stood  the  Union  and  Lotos  clubs  until  they  moved  up  town. 

Upon  the  next  block  stands  the  architectural  wonder  of  the  New  World, 
the  Flat-iron  Building — so  called  because  the  plot  of  land  covered  by  it 
suggests  that  useful  article  of  domestic  life.  It  is  twenty-two  stories  in  height, 
and  is  visible  from  the  East  and  North  rivers. 

The  first  modern  soda  fountain  in  New  York  was  established  soon  after 
the  Civil  War  by  Alexander  Hudnut,  under  the  old  Herald  Building,  at 
Broadway  and  Ann  streets.  The  son  of  this  pioneer,  Mr.  Richard  Hudnut, 
is  now  America's  largest  importer  and  manufacturer  of  perfumes,  and  his 
present  store  is  near  the  Flat-iron  Building,  on  Broadway. 


4.3 


We  are  now  emerging  from  old  New  York  into  the  modern  city.  Here 
is  Madison  Square,  the  social  centre  of  fifty  years  ago.  Its  "fashionable 
set"  of  that  time  felt  the  keen  lash  of  ridicule  when  William  Allen  Butler, 
then  a  young  lawyer,  published  in  an  early  number  of  "Harper's  Magazine" 
his  poem,  "Nothing  to  Wear."  In  those  days  "Miss  Flora  McFlimsey  of 
Madison  Square"  ran  a  close  second  with  Longfellow's  "Hiawatha." 


Jewish    Synagogue  Up    Fifth   Ave.    from    Forty-second    St. 

Bryant   Park 


44 


rrri 


Hotel    Woodward 


An  afternoon  can  be  very 
profitably  spent  about  Madison 
Square.  The  Fifth  Avenue 
Hotel,  where  the  late  Paran 
Stevens  accumulated  a  large  for- 
tune, has  disappeared.  Upon 
its  site  has  risen  the  Fifth  Ave- 
nue Building,  eighteen  stories  in 
height.  The  widow  of  Mr. 
Stevens,  who  insisted  upon  call- 
ing herself  "Mrs.  Paran  Ste- 
vens," ultimately  became  the 
social  leader  of  this  metropolis. 
She  it  was  who  made  the  mem- 
orable declaration  that  there 
were  "only  Four  Hundred 
families  in  New  York"  worthy 
to  be  on  her  visiting  list.  With 
the  help  of  the  late  Ward 
McAllister  the  "Four  Hundred" 
families  were  designated.  Her  residence  at  that  time  was  upon  Fifth  avenue, 
facing  Madison  Square.  Upon  the  eastern  side  of  this  pretty  park,  adja- 
cent to  Rev.  Dr.  Parkhurst's  architectural  gem  of  a  church,  rises  the  tallest 
building  in  the  world,  fifty  stories  above  the  street  level — that  of  the  Metro- 
politan Life  Insurance  Company. 

Broadway  crosses  here  at  an  obtuse  angle.  Directly  in  front  of  the  Fifth 
Avenue  Building  stood  the  Dewey  Triumphal  Arch,  one  of  the  most  artistic 
temporary  structures  ever  erected  in  any  land.  Directly  north  of  its  site  is 
a  fine  monument  over  the  grave  of  Major-General  William  Jenkens  Worth, 
a  hero  of  the  second  war  with  England,  the  Semi- 
nole war  (  1  84 1  ) ,  and  of  the  Mexican  War.  His 
body  was  buried  here,  with  imposing  civic  and 
military  ceremonies,  on  November  25,  1857,  and  the  granite  obelisk  was 
erected  by  the  municipal  government.  He  was  a  native  of  this  State,  born  at 
Hudson. 

Madison  Square  contains  less  than  six  acres.  Its  shade  trees  are  of  the  finest 
and  its  fountain  is  remarkable  for  an  intermittent  flow.  It  mildly  resembles  a 
spouting  geyser.  Its  benches  have  been  resting  places  for  many  social  re- 
formers and  modern  philosophers.  Here  on  every  pleasant  afternoon  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century  might  be  found  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  unique 
sociologists  of  the  nineteenth  century,  George  Francis  Train.  He  thought 
himself  the  reincarnated  Socrates,   and  during  the  last  years  of  his  life  he 


How  the  Four 
Hundred  Began 


45 


Sherman   Statue 

lived  at  the  Mills  Hotel,  in  Bleecker  street  (although  possessed  of  large  for- 
tune), among  the  disappointed  and  worried  men  of  his  day,  and  came  here 
to  meet  everybody  who  sought  his  counsel  or  sympathy. 

The  statues  in  this  square  are  not  remarkable.  Seward's  is  the  best;  that 
of  Roscoe  Conkling  fair,  and  Admiral  Farragut's  uninteresting.  The  Peter 
Cooper  statue,  in  front  of  the  Institute,  is  bad;  but  it  was  exactly  what  the 
philanthropist  wanted,  and  the  wishes  of  so  noble  a  man  must  be  respected 
— even  though  he  knew  less  about  art  than  glue. 

The  widening  of  Fifth  avenue,  from  Twenty-sixth  street  northward  to 
Fifty-ninth  street,  proceeding  rapidly,  will  give  to  the  city  a  broad  and 
splendid  thoroughfare;  and  in  the  section  above  Forty-second  street,  con- 
taining many  of  the  handsomest  residences  in  New  York,  will  result  in  the 
removal  of  all  high  stoops  and  a  general  adoption  of  the  American  basement 
entrances. 

Now  we  make  another  start  up  Fifth  avenue.     The  Cafe  Martin,  at  which 

French  cooking  has  been   domesticated  to  American  palates,   occupies  the 

third    up-town    site    of    Delmonico's.       It    will    be 
Restaurants  of  1         1    1         1      c  1  1  t  r\  1 

...     .  .  .....     ,-   _  remembered  that  the  nrst  northward  move  ot  Del- 

World-Wide  Fame 

monico's  was  made  to  Chambers,  then  to  Four- 
teenth, next  to  Twenty-sixth  street,  and  now  this  famous  restaurant  is  at 
Forty-fifth  street  and  this  avenue.  The  Cafe  Martin  is  very  popular.  The 
Collegiate  Marble  Church,  at  Twenty-ninth  street,  houses  the  oldest  congre- 
gation in  New  York,  dating  back  to  the  church  in  the  "Fort"  (1626). 
Notice  the  bell  in  the  yard,  which  was  the  first  that  called  to  religious  con- 
ference in  the  young  city. 

46 


It 


St.   Patrick's  Cathedral 


The    Little    Church   Around   the   Corner" 

[On  Twenty-ninth  street,   east  of  Fifth  avenue] 


The  Church  of  the  Transfiguration,  the  Rev.  George  Clarke  Houghton, 
D.  D.,  rector,  was  organized  in  1848  and  the  church  was  built  in  1850, 
the  first  church  of  its  name  in  the  world.  The  building  is  now  five  times 
the  size  of  the  little  church  of  those  days.  In  the  draft  riots  of  the  Civil 
War  in  1  863  a  very  large  number  of  colored  people  were  driven  from  their 
tenements,  and  would  have  been  killed  had  they  not  found  refuge  in  the 
church  and  the  rector  stood  guard  over  them  and  single  handed  kept  the 
mob  away  until  the  soldiers  dispersed  the  rioters.  In  1870  George  Holland, 
one  of  the  most  prominent  actors  of  his  day,  died,  and  when  Joe  Jefferson 
applied  to  a  small  church  on  Madison  avenue  for  Holland's  burial  the  rector 
of  that  church  refused  to  perform  the  rites  because  Holland  was  an  actor, 
and  told  Joe  Jefferson  that  there  was  "a  little  church  around  the  corner 
where  it  might  be  done,"  referring  to  this  Church  of  the  Transfiguration, 
which  seats  1,200  people.  Jefferson's  prompt  reply  was:  "God  bless  the 
little  church  around  the  corner,"  and  that  name  has  clung  with  affection  to 
this  church  ever  since.  Thousands  of  actors  and  others  among  the  most 
prominent  people  of  this  city  and  State  have  been  married  and  buried  from 
the  church. 

The  Holland  House,  at  the  corner  of  Thirtieth  street,  is  probably  the  most 

48 


Reading  from  top— Palace  of  John   Jacob  Astor,  Havemeyer 


House,   Carnegie's  House. 


Reading  from   top     .Mrs.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt's  House,  Rockefeller  House.  Vanderbilt 
Twin  Mansions,  the  nearest  one  leased  by  11.  C.  Frick 


exquisite  hotel  in  the  world.  In  its  appointments  nothing  better  can  be 
desired.  Its  main  entrance  is  finished  in  alabaster,  and  no  two  of  its  rooms 
are  alike  in  size,  shape  or  decoration. 

At  Thirty-third  street,  we  pass  over  the  tunnels  of  the  Pennsylvania  rail- 
road under  Manhattan  Island.  The  new  and  splendid  station  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Company  can  be  seen,  looking  west  on  Thirty-third  street.  From 
it  four  tunnels  lead  under  the  Hudson  to  New  Jersey.  Two  of  these  via- 
ducts are  for  passengers  and  two  are  for  freight.  They  cross  under  Man- 
hattan Island,  thence  under  the  East  River  to  Long  Island  City,  where 
direct  connection  is  made  with  the  Long  Island  railroad.  It  is  intended  to 
run  through  trains  to  Fort  Pond  Bay,  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  island,  where 
fast  steamers  will  leave  for  Europe,  saving  more  than  half  a  day's  time  over 
the  Sandy  Hook  route.  Into  the  development  of  the  railroad  terminal  in 
New  York  the  Pennsylvania  Company  has  poured  $50,000,000.  The 
company  intends  to  develop  Long  Island  as  the  great  residential  section  for 
suburban  New  York.  In  this  it  will  meet  the  rivalry  of  the  Hudson  Tun- 
nels, built  by  the  energy  of  William  G.  McAdoo. 

Across  Thirty-fourth  street  stands  the  new  marble  building  of  the  Knicker- 
bocker Trust  Company.     It  is  a  Greek  temple,  viewed  from  the  avenue,  and 

occupies  the  site  of  A.  T.  Stewart's  famous  million  .    ..        ... 

i  n  i  i  i  r      i      •  A  Magnificent 

dollar  palace,  torn  down  to  make  way  tor  business.  Business  Building 

The  house  occupied   by   Henry   Hilton,   who   got 

most  of  the  Stewart  millions,  at  the  time  adjoined  the  merchant's  dwelling  on 

Thirty-fourth  street.     The  estate  and  the  great  business  have  been  scattered. 

The  store  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Thirty-eighth  street  occupies  the  site 
of  the  residence  of  the  first  James  Gordon  Bennett.  The  famous  Union 
League  Club,  with  2,500  members,  is  on  the  same  corner  at  Thirty-ninth 
street.     It  is  a  very  rich  corporation  and  the  comforts  of  the  house  are  many. 

The  building  of  Knox  the  Hatter,  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Fortieth 

street,  occupies  one  of  the  most  valuable  lots  in  this  part  of  the  avenue.     He 

has  another  store  in  the  Singer  Building  and  one  in  _,     _ 

.         ill  Tne  Famous 

Brooklyn.     This  is  an  American  business  that  long  Knox  Hats 

ago    invaded    England.      An    American    can    buy 

Knox  hats  on  Regent  or  Bond  street,   London,  just  as  readily  as  he  can 

those  of  the  best  English  makes.     The  American  article  competes  with  the 

best  London-made  hat. 

The  beautiful  Public  Library,  upon  the  site  of  the  Croton  Distributing 

Reservoir,  is  the  central  structure  of  three  that  will  comprise  the  Astor-Lenox- 

Tilden  Library  foundations.      The  building  is  366  feet  long  and  246  feet 

deep.      The   principal   stack-room   will   contain   seven    fire-proof   floors   and 

accommodate  2,300,000  volumes.     The  Astor  Library,  in  Lafayette  Place, 

will  be  maintained;  likewise  the  Lenox,  on  upper  Fifth  avenue.     The  build- 

5i 


ing  owes  its  existence  to  the  intention  of  the  late  Samuel  J.   Tilden,  who, 

dying   in    1886,    bequeathed   his    entire   fortune    of    $7,000,000    to    form 

"The  Tilden  Trust,"   for  the  purpose  of  building  the  handsomest  library 

edifice  in  the  world.     After  years  of  litigation  the  highest  courts  declared  void 

the  clauses  in  the  will  relating  to  the  Trust.     One  of  the  Tilden  heirs,  desirous 

that  his  uncle's  intentions  should  be  carried  out,  surrendered  his  entire  share 

(amounting   to   $2,500,000),   and   rendered   possible   the   creation   of   the 

_.      _  Trust.      By  judicious  investment  this  amount   has 

The  Growth  of  i  \     i  i    i     i     •         ,  •    ,     , 

the  Library  been   almost   doubled   during   the   period   that   has 

intervened.  The  City  of  New  York  is  erecting  the 
building  and  the  Tilden  fund  will  be  used  as  an  endowment  for  the  main- 
tenance of  special  departments.  Boston  has  heretofore  had  the  best  public 
library  in  this  country;  but  New  York  will  be  without  a  rival  when  these 
three  great  foundations  are  consolidated. 

Bryant  Park,  named  after  the  founder  of  "The  Evening  Post,"  author  of 
"Thanatopsis,"  is  directly  behind  the  new  Public  Library  building.  There 
stood  the  "Crystal  Palace,"  in  which  the  only  World's  Fair  ever  attempted 
by  New  York  was  held  (1856).  The  locality  was  out  of  town  at  that 
time,  and  was  a  day's  journey  to  visit.  The  building  was  destroyed  by  fire 
several   years   later. 

The  fine  brownstone  residence  at  the  corner  of  Fortieth  street  was  long 
the  home  of  the  late  William  H.  Vanderbilt.  It  is  now  occupied  by  John 
R.  Drexel. 

Crossing  Forty-second  street,  under  which  the  Subway  seeks  the  upper 
West  Side  of  the  city,  the  Grand  Central  Station  of  the  Vanderbilt  system 
is  seen  two  blocks  to  the  eastward.  Thence  one  can  leave  for  Boston  as  well 
as  all  points  in  the  West  and  Southwest.  About  five  hundred  trains  arrive 
and  depart  daily. 

The  high-stoop  brownstone  house  on  the  east  side  of  the  avenue,  next  to 
the  open  corner  lot,  is  the  home  of  R.  T.  Wilson,  the  banker,  who  made  a 
fortune  in  cotton  during  the  Civil  War,  and  has  since  lived  in  New  York. 
This  family  is  remarkable  for  the  matrimonial  alliances  it  has  contracted. 
A  son  married  into  the  Astor  family,  one  daughter  is  the  wife  of  Cornelius 
Vanderbilt,  IV,  and  another  is  wedded  to  one  of  the  Goelets. 

The  Jewish  synagogue,  Emanu-El,  is  the  largest  congregation  of  that  faith 
in  the  city.  There  are  750,000  Jews  in  the  metropolis,  and  the  journey  up 
Broadway  has  shown  what  an  important  part  they  hold  in  the  commercial 
life  of  New  York.  Many  of  the  most  eminent  and  useful  members  of  the 
community  belong  to  the  race  of  Judah.  There  are  fifty-one  temples  and 
synagogues  in  this  city  and  probably  forty  small  meeting  places.  The  charities 
of  Jews  are  innumerable.  Five  clubs  exist  for  their  exclusive  comfort.  No 
foreign  race  shows  so  clean  a  record  as  respecters  of  law,  for,  out  of  nearly 

52 


IN  CENTRAL    PARK 
untain    and    Lake  Metropolitan    Museum        "Cleopatra's   Needle' 


28  per  cent,  of  the  city's  population,  the  Jews  contribute  less  than  1  per 
cent,  to  the  criminal  classes. 

Across  Fifth  Avenue  is  Sherry's.  This  splendid  building  is  part  of  the 
Goelet  estate.  When  Sherry  was  located  lower  down  the  avenue  his  restau- 
rant acquired  an  unfortunate  notoriety  on  account  of  a  dinner  given  by  a 
young  Seeley,  one  of  the  heirs  of  P.  T.  Barnum,  the  showman.  The 
"couchi-couchi,"  an  Eastern  dance,  was  performed  by  a  young  woman 
known  as  "Little  Egypt."  The  police,  out  of  revenge,  raided  the  place,  and 
a  scandal  involving  many  well-known  people  followed. 

The  tall  marble  building  opposite  is  the  only  bank  of  its  kind  in  the  world, 
and  does  not  cease  business  for  an  instant  between  1 2  o'clock  Monday 
morning  and  midnight  of  Saturday. 

The  house  with  the  green  marble  pillars  at  its  doorway,  in  the  side  street, 

adjacent  to  Delmonico's,  was  Richard  Canfield's  gambling  establishment,  in 

which  a  young  swell  is  said  to  have  lost  $100,000 

at  roulette  during  one  evening's  play.  District 
Gambling  Place  . ,         , 

Attorney  Jerome  entered  the  place  by  means  of  a 

ladder,  after  breaking  one  of  the  front  windows.  Upon  the  marble  floor  of 
the  foyer,  inside  a  circle  of  black  stone,  were  three  interlocking  crescents — 
a  design  exactly  similar  to  the  monogram  upon  several  mysterious  letters  that 
formed  exhibits  in  the  unsolved  poisoning  case  for  which  Molineaux  was 
twice  tried — once  convicted  and  then  acquitted.  The  Church  of  the 
Heavenly  Rest,  famous  as  a  haven  for  lovers  who  marry  in  haste  and  rarely 
repent,  is  in  the  next  block,  on  the  avenue.  John  D.  Rockefeller's  Fifth  Ave- 
nue Baptist  Church  and  Sunday  School  chapel  are  directly  behind  the  south- 
western corner  of  the  avenue,  on  Forty-sixth  street. 

A  temporary  structure  upon  the  next  block,  called  "Windsor  Arcade," 
occupies  the  site   of  the  stately  Windsor   Hotel,   destroyed   by  fire   on  St. 

Patrick's    Day,    1897,    with    terrible    loss   of    life. 

The  property  belongs  to  Commodore  Elbridge  T. 

Gerry.  The  house  of  Miss  Helen  Miller  Gould 
stands  at  the  first  corner  to  the  northward.  This  was  the  home  of  the  late 
Jay  Gould,  "the  Wizard  of  Wall  Street,"  who  often  stood  at  the  window 
of  his  reception  room,  north  of  the  entrance,  watching  the  throng  on  the 
avenue.  His  wonderful  office  was  in  the  corner  basement.  Into  it  led  wires 
and  cables  from  every  part  of  the  globe;  "tickers"  apprised  Mr.  Gould  of 
every  change  in  the  stock  market,  and  private  wires  from  Washington  and 
Albany  kept  him  informed  regarding  every  phase  of  legislation,  in  contempla- 
tion or  under  debate.  An  hour's  advance  information  was  often  worth  a 
round  million  to  this  remarkable  man.  His  son  George,  now  the  head  of 
the  family,  lived  in  the  first  house  eastward  on  Forty-seventh  street,  and  a 
passageway    connected    the    two   dwellings.       "Inspector"    Thomas    Byrnes, 

54 


when  Chief  of  Police,  earned  the  lasting  gratitude  of  the  financier  by  rescuing 
him  from  a  mob  in  the  street  between  the  Windsor  Hotel  and  his  home.  The 
crowd  was  bent  upon  hanging  Mr.  Gould  to  a  lamp  post  that  then  stood  at 
the  corner.  When  the  hotel  fire  occurred  Miss  Gould  turned  her  beautiful 
home  into  a  hospital  for  the  injured. 

PALACES  OF   MILLIONAIRES 

NE  peculiarity  about  the  wealthy  class  in  New  York  is  that 
its  members  frequently  change  their  domiciles.  This  isn't 
for  the  old  reason  that  it  is  cheaper  to  move  than  pay  rent, 
but  because  the  social  centre  shifts  every  four  or  five 
years,  and  the  "Smart  Set"  desires  to  be  accurately 
located.  At  this  time  the  family  of  James  B.  Haggin, 
the  copper  millionaire  and  patron  of  the  turf,  lives  at  No.  587  Fifth  avenue. 
Mrs.  Robert  Goelet,  who  inherited  fifty  million  dollars  from  her  late  husband, 
and  whose  daughter  married  the  Duke  of  Roxburghe,  dwells  at  No.  591  ; 
Mr.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  IV,  at  No.  608;  Mrs.  Ziegler,  whose  late 
husband  fitted  out  two  Arctic  expeditions,  at  No.  624;  Mr.  D.  O.  Mills, 
practical  philanthropist,  at  No.  634.  The  Democratic  Club  adjoins  the 
Hotel  Buckingham,  and  is  headquarters  of  that  political  party. 

St.  Patrick's  Cathedral  is  an  architectural  pride  to  every  citizen  of  New 
York.  It  is  the  most  imposing  church  edifice  in  the  United  States  and  was 
twenty-one  years  in  construction.  The  cornerstone  of  the  cathedral  was  laid 
on  August  15,  1858,  and  it  was  dedicated  on  May  25,  1879,  by  the 
first  American  Cardinal,  McCloskey.  The  architecture  is  of  the  thirteenth 
century  geometric  order,  of  which  Cologne  and  Rheims  furnish  the  best 
examples.  A  Latin  cross  furnishes  the  ground  plan,  and  the  extreme  length 
and  the  height  of  the  spires  are  equal — 330  feet. 

The  Fifth  avenue  front  is  very  imposing,  the  central  '  '     a  ric 

gable  rising  to  a  height  of  1  56  feet.     Especially  to 

be  noticed  is  the  great  rose  window  of  latticed  marble.  When  the  grand 
doorway  is  finished  statues  of  the  twelve  apostles  will  stand  within — replicas 
of  those  placed  by  Michael  Angelo  upon  the  facade  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome. 
Above  the  base  course  of  granite  the  building  is  of  marble.  The  skill  of  the 
architect,  James  Renwick,  is  shown  in  the  interior.  Especially  observe  the 
groined  ceiling,  with  its  wealth  of  foliage-bosses  and  its  spring-line  of  77  feet 
from  the  marble  pavement  below.  Many  of  the  chapels  and  all  the  beautiful 
stained-glass  windows,  seventy  in  number,  are  worthy  of  study. 

At  the  corner  north  of  the  beautiful  cathedral  stands  the  new  home  of  the 
Union  Club,  ranking  first  among  the  social  organizations  of  this  city.      It 

55 


dates  from  1836,  and  has  grown  to  be  very  wealthy.  Its  membership  is 
restricted  to  1,500,  and  the  entrance  fee  is  $300.  The  waiting  list  runs 
into  hundreds. 

Directly  opposite  the  Union  Club  is  the  Vanderbilt  block.  The  two 
palaces — because  no  other  word  accurately  describes  the  square  brownstone 
buildings — were  built  by  the  late  William  H.  Vanderbilt.  The  one  upon 
the  corner  of  Fifty-first  street  was  intended  for  the  occupancy  of  the  head  of 
the  family,  and  is  double  the  size  of  the  other  two.  Originally  the  entrance 
was  in  the  centre  of  the  block,  and  all  the  houses  could  be  thrown  together 
for  receptions.  The  first  house  has  descended  through  his  mother  to  Mr. 
George  W.  Vanderbilt,  owner  of  "Biltmore"  at  Asheville,  North  Carolina. 
He  has  leased  it  for  a  term  of  ten  years  to  Henry  C.  Frick,  the  Pittsburg 
multi-millionaire,  at  an  annual  rental  of  $50,000.  Mr.  Frick  has  expended 
several  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  altering  the  interior,  and  it  is  to-day  one 
of  the  most  palatial  homes  in  America.  The  vast  art  gallery  contains  a 
Turner,  several  Corots,  three  Rousseaus,  and  many  other  valuable  paintings. 
The  home  of  Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie,  who  gives  away  his  income  of 
$35,000,000  every  year,  was  for  a  long  while  directly  behind  the  Vander- 
bilt house  in  West  Fifty-first  street.  The  other  two  dwellings  in  the  same 
block  on  the  avenue  are  occupied  by  Mr.  William  D.  Sloane  and  the  widow 
of  the  late  Elliott  F.  Shepard.  The  two  ladies  in  these  families  are  daughters 
of  the  late  W.   H.  Vanderbilt. 

The  most  ornate  dwelling  upon  Fifth  avenue  is  that  of  William  Kissam 
Vanderbilt,  a  white  stone  chateau  in  the  French  style  at  the  next  corner. 
Into  its  grand  foyer  a  coach  and  four  can  be  driven  and  turned.     For  this 


Club 


56 


Senator    Clark's    New    House 


exquisite  structure  the 
widow  of  a  California 
senator  recently  offered 
$2,500,000.  Notice  the 
gargoyles  and  the  fine 
gables.  The  house  next 
door  is  the  dwelling  place 
of  W.  K.  Vanderbilt,  Jr., 
who  married  a  daughter 
of  the  late  Senator  Fair. 
Mr.  Vanderbilt  has  been 
an  automobile  enthusiast, 
and  established  "The 
Vanderbilt  Cup,"  cele- 
brated in  a  comic  opera, 
as  a  world-trophy  for 
motor-car  speed.  It  is 
now  held  by  a  plucky 
chauffeur  with  a  record  of 
nearly  two  miles  a  minute. 
Young    Vanderbilt    is    a 

fearless  driver  himself  and  has  narrowly  escaped  death  in  his  racing  machine 
on  several  occasions.  Mr.  Frederick  Gallatin,  the  banker,  lives  at  the  corner 
above  the  Vanderbilts — a  descendant  of  the  Gallatins  of  Revolutionary  days. 

St.  Thomas's  Episcopal  Church,  at  Fifty-third  street,  is  the  most  fashion- 
able in  New  York.  The  interior  was  recently  destroyed  by  a  fire  in  which 
an  altar  picture  by  La  Farge  perished.  Two  sons-in-law  of  the  late  W.  H. 
Vanderbilt  occupy  the  houses  beyond  the  St.  Thomas  parsonage.  Dr. 
William  Seward  Webb  has  the  first  and  Hamilton  McKay  Twombley  the 
corner  house.  Across  the  road,  in  the  same  block,  at  No.  677,  lived  Oliver 
H.  P.  Belmont;  next  door,  former  Vice-President  Levi  P.  Morton,  and 
at  the  corner  Mr.  Charles  W.  Harkness,  one  of  the  Standard  Oil  million- 
aires. Directly  to  the  north  of  the  latter,  across  Fifty-fourth  street,  dwells 
Mr.  William  Rockefeller. 

Looking  westward  on  this  street,  the  house  of  the  richest  man  in  the  world 
is  seen — that  of  John  D.  Rockefeller.  It  stands  in  a  large  yard  and  its  side 
walls  are  covered  with  vines.  It  is  not  as  pretentious 
as  one  would  expect  a  man  worth  a  billion  dollars 
to  occupy;  but  Mr.  Rockefeller  is  frugal  in  all  his 
habits.  He  dresses  plainly  and  wears  ready-made  shoes  that  rarely  cost 
over  $3.50  a  pair.  His  son  and  heir,  John  D.  Rockefeller,  Jr.,  occupies  the 
whitestone  American  basement  house  directly  across  the  side  street.     When 


The  Richest  Man 
in  the  World 


57 


Lenox   Library 


we  remember  that  Mr.  Rockefeller  could  buy  every  house  between  the 
Washington  Arch  and  Central  Park  without  using  more  than  half  his  funds 
we  comprehend  the  vastness  of  his  resources. 

The  Hotel  Woodward,  at  Broadway  and  West  Fifty-fifth  street,  is  an 
exclusive  hotel,  appealing  to  the  highest  class  of  American  and  European 
travelers. 

Mr.  Alfred  Gwynne  Vanderbilt,  present  heir  of  the  line — not  according 
to  the  rule  of  primogeniture,  but  because  his  father,  the  late  Cornelius 
Vanderbilt,  III,  gave  to  him  $65,000,000  by  disinheriting  his  eldest  son, 
Cornelius,  for  marrying  against  his  wishes — lives  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
Fifth  avenue  and  Fifty-sixth  street.  The  four  corners  of  Fifty-seventh  street 
are  occupied  by  famous  houses.  The  gray  granite  dwelling,  modeled  after 
the  Pitti  Palace  in  Florence,  was  the  home  of  the 
Where  the  Mil-  jate  Q    p    Huntington.     Across  Fifty-seventh  street 

are  the  chaste  white  marble  dwellings  erected  by  the 
Jones  estate,  in  the  corner  house  of  which  the  late  Mrs.  Paran  Stevens  held 
social  sway  until  the  day  of  her  death.  She  was  born  a  grocer's  daughter 
at  Lowell,  Mass.,  but  married  Paran  Stevens,  who  kept  the  Parker  House 
in  Boston  and  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel.  After  his  death,  she  became  a 
social  dictator  in  New  York. 

One  block  west,  on  Fifty-seventh  street,  stands  the  new  home  of  the  Lotos 

58 


Club,  known  throughout  this  country  and  Europe  as  the  most  hospitable 
social  organization  in  America.  This  club  was  organized  forty  years  ago 
by  a  group  of  journalists,  authors,  painters,  playwrights  and  actors,  to  create 
a  home  for  literary  and  artistic  Bohemia.  It  owns  more  than  a  quarter  mil- 
lion dollars'  worth  of  paintings.  Its  new  house,  the  fourth  in  its  existence, 
has  a  frontage  of  75  feet,  and  its  interior  decorations  are  very  pretty.  Its 
"Rathskeller,"  where  "Saturday  Night  Smokers"  are  held,  is  a  wonder-shop 
of  rare  trophies. 

The  elder  son  of  the  late  William  C.  Whitney,  Harry  Payne  Whitney, 
who  married  Miss  Gertrude  Vanderbilt,  lives  in  the  pretty  red  brick  chateau 
across  the  avenue  from  the  Huntington  house.  The  show  house  of  New 
York,  before  Charles  M.  Schwab's  palace  on  the  Riverside  Drive  was  fin- 
ished, was  the  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  French  chateau,  occupying  the  block  front 
and  facing  the  Central  Park  Plaza.  It  cost  $7,000,000  as  it  stands.  Many 
of  its  interior  decorations  were  done  by  the  most  famous  mural  painters  of 
Europe,    brought    here    for    the    purpose    without 

regard    to    expense.       The    "house-warming"    was  The  Vanderbilt 

signalized    by    the    greatest    fancy-dress    ball    ever 

given  on  this  continent.  Several  hundred  thousand  dollars  were  spent  upon 
costumes,  decorations,  music  and  wine.  Mrs.  Bradley-Martin  afterward 
vainly  attempted  to  eclipse  the  memorable  event.  Notice  the  carvings  upon 
the  porte-cochere  at  the  northern  or  main  entrance. 


Cathedral  of   St.  John  the  Divine 

59 


i  1 1 1 1 1 

!       1    1    *    I    | 

!1|M  •  i      I    I    I    I    I 


The  Low  Library  of 
Columbia  University 


St.   Luke's  Hospital 


Queensboro  Bridge,  reached  through  East  Fifty-ninth  street,  crossing  over 
Blackwell's  Island,  is  a  cantilever,  its  two  channel  spans  being  1 , 1 82  feet 
on  the  west  and  984  feet  on  the  east.  Length  of  the  main  bridge  is  3,724 
feet  5  inches;  Manhattan  approach  1,052,  Queens  approach  2,672  feet  5 
inches,  or  a  total  of  7,449  feet.  It  is  a  very  imposing  structure,  and  the 
view  of  the  public  institutions  upon  Blackwell's  Island  gives  a  perfect  idea  of 
their  arrangement.  Queens  Plaza,  on  the  Long  Island  side,  has  a  length  of 
1 ,1  52  feet.  Width  of  the  bridge  over  all,  8 9 J/2  feet;  roadway,  53  feet,  and 
two  foot-walks,  each  16  feet  wide.  Work  began  in  1901,  and  the  opening 
occurred  April  3,   1909. 

The  Central  Park,  pride  of  America,  stretches  before  us  on  the  left  for 
two  miles.  There  are  many  larger  areas  of  enclosed  ground  in  other  cities 
called  parks,  but  nowhere  upon  earth  is  there  such  variety  of  hill,  dale,  lake 
and  meadow  as  here.  Frederick  Law  Olmstead,  a  famous  landscape  archi- 
tect, gave  the  best  thought  of  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  the  creation  of  this 
beautiful  pleasure  ground.  Two  or  three  days  should  be  devoted  to  this 
park  by  the  stranger  in  New  York.     The  best  way  is  to  take  an  automobile 


6o 


of  this  company  in  order  to  visit  special  features,   such   as  the   Mall,   the 

Egyptian  Obelisk,  the  Arsenal,  the  Terrace,  with  its  superb  fountain,  and 

to  enjoy  a  boat  ride  upon  the  large  lake.     The  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art 

should  be  considered  as  a  separate  proposition,  requiring  several  days. 

The  east  side  of  Fifth  avenue,  facing  the  Central  Park,  has  been  called 

"Millionaires'  Row";  but,  with  perhaps  three  or  four  exceptions,  the  houses 

are  not  superior  to  those  we  have  passed  on  the  avenue.      After  the  Savoy 

Hotel,   with   its   alabaster   foyer,   and   the   New   Netherlands,   with   its  fine 

"Rathskeller,"   the  first  architectural  feature  is  the  marble  structure  of  the 

Metropolitan  Club,  called  the  "Millionaires'."     Its  initiation  fee  is  $1,000 

and  its  annual  dues  double  those  of  any  other  social  organization  in  the  city. 

Its  entrance  is  upon  East  Sixtieth  street,  reserving 

the  entire  avenue  front  for  windows,  at  which  mem- 

i  11     ^n  n        >>  i  •  in  New  York 

bers  may  sit  and  watch      Kotten  Row,      as  this 

entrance  to  the  Park  is  called — after  a  driveway  in   Hyde   Park,   behind 

Knightsbridge  Terrace.     The  new  bronze  statue  of  General  William  Tecum- 

seh  Sherman,  on  a  champing  charger,  preceded  by  a  female  angel  bearing 

an  olive  branch,  stands  at  the  Park  entrance. 

The  first  noticeable  dwelling  above  the  Metropolitan  Club  is  that  of  Mr. 
Elbridge  T.  Gerry,  called  "Commodore"  because  he  was  for  a  time  at  the 
head  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club.  The  house  is  a  fine  specimen  of  the 
modern  French  villa  and  has  a  glass-enclosed  porte-cochere. 

Mr.  John  Jacob  Astor's  palace  stands  at  the  upper  corner  of  Sixty-fifth 
street.  Mrs.  Astor,  his  wife,  is  the  recognized  leader  of  society  in  the  United 
States.  Here  several  of  the  most  brilliant  social  events  in  the  history  of  this 
metropolis  have  occurred. 

The  quaint,  feudal  castle,  with  its  moat,  at  the  upper  side  of  Sixty-fifth 
street,  is  the  home  of  "The  Sugar  King,"  Mr.  Henry  O.  Havemeyer.  Next 
door  dwells  Col.  Oliver  H.  Payne,  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  whose 
sister  was  the  first  wife  of  the  late  William  C.  Whitney;  and  for  neighbor 
he  has  his  favorite  nephew,  Mr.  Payne  Whitney,  who  married  Miss  Hay, 
daughter  of  the  late  Secretary  of  State,  John  Hay.  The  unpretentious 
Gothic  house  of  Mr.  George  J.  Gould,  who  controls  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  Company  and  several  thousand  miles  of  railway,  is  at  the  next 
corner.  Mr.  H.  O.  Armour,  head  of  the  "Beef  Trust,"  resides  at  No.  856, 
and  Mr.   Isaac  Stern,  merchant,  at  No.   858. 

The  palaces  of  the  late  Charles  T.  Yerkes  and  of  the  late  William  C. 
Whitney  occupy  the  lower  and  upper  corners,  respectively,  of  Sixty-eighth 
street.  Each  of  these  houses  cost  more  than  $2,500,000,  and  both  are 
crowded  with  valuable  paintings,  rugs  and  works  of  art.  By  his  will  Mr. 
Yerkes  provided  for  the  creation  of  a  museum,  the  entrance  to  which  is  seen 
adjoining  the  house,      wlr.   Whitney's  property  was  sold  to  the  late  James 

6i 


The    Flat-iron    Building 
Main  office  and  starting  point  of  Seeing  New  York  Automobiles 


Tomb  of  General  Grant 

H.  Smith,  known  as  "Silent  Smith,"  who  inherited  $50,000,000  from  an 
uncle  in  England.  Smith  died  in  the  Far  East  while  on  a  yachting  tour. 
The  marble  stairway  in  this  house  is  the  handsomest  in  New  York.  Mr. 
Whitney  was  Secretary  of  the  Navy  during  the  first  Cleveland  Administra- 
tion, and  had  an  important  part  in  the  creation  of  the  new  American  navy. 

The  superb  Lenox  Library  building  occupies  the  entire  front  between 
Seventieth  and  Seventy-first  streets.      It  is  a  gift  to  _.     G-f.     f 

the  people  of  New  York  from  the  late  James  Lenox,  James  Lenox 

one   of  the   most   distinguished   philanthropists   this 

country  has  produced.  It  was  incorporated  in  1870,  and  the  building  as 
now  seen  was  opened  in  1877.  It  is  of  Lockport  limestone,  and  cost 
$2,000,000.  Herein  may  be  found  the  most  valuable  collection  of  rare 
books  upon  American  and  town  histories  anywhere  got  together.  Mr. 
Lenox's  private  collection  of  paintings,  statuary  and  original  editions  of  early 
books  is  almost  priceless.  This  structure  is  now  a  part  of  the  New  York 
Public  Library. 

The  costly,  composite  building  at  the  north  side  of  Eighty-fifth  street, 
having  a  tower  and  entrance  on  the  side  street,  is  the  $5,000,000  palace 
of  ex-United  States  Senator  William  A.  Clark,  of  Montana,  known  as  the 
richest  of  copper  mine  owners.     When  completed, 

this  house  will  contain  many  of  the  best  examples  The  Palace  of 

of  modern  art  in  America.     Senator  Clark  doesn't  Senator  Clark 

care  for  established  conventions  in  architecture. 

The  fine  house  of  Henry  B.  Phipps,  another  of  "the  Carnegie  million- 
aires," is  in  the  block  above  Eighty-seventh  street.  Mr.  Phipps  is  a  large 
owner  of  real  estate  in  New  York,  and  has  given  millions  to  Pittsburg. 


63 


The  large,  red  brick  and  whitestone  building  at  Ninetieth  street  is  the 
home  of  the  famous  philanthropist,  Andrew  Carnegie.  It  stands  upon  what 
Mr.  Carnegie  has  named  "The  Highlands  of  Manhattan,"  and  its  upper 
windows  overlook  the  large  reservoir  in  the  Central  Park,  having  the  pro- 
portions of  a  small  lake.  The  great  house  fronts  upon  Ninety-first  street  at 
present,  but  an  approach  will  be  opened  through  the  fine  garden  upon  which 
the  salon  and  dining-room  look.  The  "Ironmaster's"  library  is  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  valuable  private  collections  of  books  in  America. 

Entering  Central  Park  from  Fifth  avenue,  at  the  Ninetieth  street  gate,  the 
course  leads  northward,  around  the  base  of  the  great  Croton  reservoir.  This 
large  lake  holds  1 ,030,000,000  gallons  of  drink- 
ing water,  and  the  distributing  reservoir,  directly 
south,  contains  150,000,000  gallons.  The  total 
storage  capacity  of  the  various  dams  and  reservoirs  is  9,500,000,000 
gallons — enough,  it  is  estimated,  to  supply  Manhattan  with  drinking  water 
for  six  months. 

The  drive  winds  gracefully  across  a  fine  bridge,  thence  by  a  slight  incline 
to  McGowans  Pass  Tavern,  a  restaurant  built  by  the  city  on  the  site  of  a 
skirmish  during  the  Revolution  and  leased  to  a  caterer,  round  a  sharp  turn 
and  down  a  steep  declivity  to  a  fine  stretch  leading  to  the  Seventh  avenue 
gate  at  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  street. 

The  old  stone  blockhouse  upon  the  rocky  heights  to  the  left  marks  an 
incident  in  the  War  of  1812. 

The  site  of  Fort  Washington  is  indicated  by  a  monumental  tablet  erected 
by  the  generosity  of  James  Gordon  Bennett,  Jr.,  upon  the  land  embraced 
in  the  homestead  given  to  him  by  his  father,  the  founder  of  the  New  York 
"Herald,"  and  now  dedicated  to  a  public  park.  It  is  a  marble  and  bronze 
entablature,  flanked  by  two  pilasters  rising  from  a  granite  base  upon  the 
western  side  of  Fort  Washington  avenue.  Upon  a  bronze  tablet,  above  a 
wayside  seat,  is  this  inscription: 

This  memorial  marks  the  site  of  Fort  Washington,  constructed  by  the 
Continental  troops  in  the  summer  of  1776  ;  taken  by  the  British,  after 
an  heroic  defence,  November  16,  1776  ;  repossessed  by  the  Americans 
upon  their  triumphal  re-entry  into  the  City  of  New  York,  November  25, 
1783.  Erected  through  the  generosity  of  James  Gordon  Bennett  by  the 
Empire  State  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  November 
16,    1901. 

Upon  a  concrete  platform  above  the  top  of  the  entablature  is  a  cannon  of 
the  Revolutionary  period. 


64 


SOME  FAMOUS  BOULEVARDS 

ETURNING  to  the  exit  from  Central  Park,  the  broad 
avenue  leading  northward  is  one  of  the  most  popular 
drives  in  the  city.  It  leads  to  McComb's  Dam  Bridge — 
or  Central  Bridge,  as  it  has  lately  been  renamed  for 
the  sake  of  euphony.  The  "Society  of  American 
Mothers"  also  petitioned  the  Board  of  Aldermen  in 
behalf  of  the  change  of  name. 

The  best  sight-seeing  route  lies  to  the  westward,  under  "the  serpentine 
bend"  of  the  Elevated  railway.  The  track  is  73  feet  above  the  pavement 
at  its  highest  point.  A  station  upon  the  curve  is  reached  by  elevators.  We 
turn  again  to  the  northward  at  Morningside  avenue,  and  pass  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Cathedral  of  St.  John  the  Divine,  building  upon  Morningside 
Heights,  "the  Acropolis  of  New  York."  Fifty  years  may  be  required  for 
its  completion,  and  the  cost  is  expected  to  exceed  $25,000,000.  The  final 
drawings  by  the  architects,  Heins  ck  La  Farge,  indicate  that  the  vast  edifice 
will  combine  the  best  features  of  Gothic  church  building  in  the  Old  World. 
The  massive  central  spire,  425  feet  in  height,  that  will  be  the  dominating 
feature  of  the  cathedral  when  seen  from  a  distance,  resembles  Salisbury,  but 
is  higher  and  more  ornate.  The  imposing  western  front,  overlooking  the 
Hudson  and  surmounted  by  two  towers,  will  recall  York  and  Lincoln.  The 
chevet  of  chapels  at  the  eastern  end — one  of  which  (given  by  the  Belmont 
family)  is  now  finished — is  characteristic  of  the  splendid  cathedrals  of 
northern  France,  imitated  at  Westminster,  Cologne  and  Toledo.  Its  deco- 
ration   is   intended    to    be   as   rich   as   that   of   the    duomo    at    Milan.      The 

pointed  arch,  keynote  of  the  Gothic  style,  predom- 

,         ,  l  i        r  r  li  i  The   New  Protestant 

mates   exteriorly;   the   older   rorm   ot   rounded   arch  _   . 

•ii  i        j  •      .      •  tt.  .  Cathedral 

is  largely  employed  in  the  interior.      1  he  great  arch 

now  standing  in  relief  against  the  western  sky  will  be  one  of  four  supports 

to  the  lofty  central  tower  that  will  carry  the  spire. 

This  cathedral  site  is  the  most  remarkable  one  in  the  Christian  world — 
and,  in  Pagan  lands,  is  only  equaled  by  the  temple  of  the  Grand  Lama 
of  Buddhism,  at  Lhasa,  Tibet.  The  completed  structure  will  be  visible  from 
nearly  every  part  of  town  above  Fifty-ninth  street. 

St.  Luke's  Hospital,  standing  directly  north  of  the  cathedral  site,  is  an 
enduring  monument  to  the  energy  and  heart  of  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg, of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  But  the  most  romantic  incident 
connected  with  the  up-building  of  this  famous  hospital  is  that  it  had  its  in- 
ception in  the  suggestion  of  a  very  poor  woman  who  had  been  treated  in  a 
small  retreat  maintained  by  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  flock.  When  she  was  cured 
this  woman  sent  for  the  good  man  in  order  to  say : 

65 


"I  have  only  $5  left  in  this  world,  but  I  wish  to  give  that  as  the  beginning 
of  a  fund  that  shall  be  raised  to  build  and  equip  a  large  hospital." 

The  money  was  accepted  and  from  that  small  initiative  the  property  of 

St.  Luke's  has  grown  until  it  exceeds  $3,500,000!     Money  was  raised  by 

subscription  and  land  was  bought  on  Fifth  avenue  and  Fifty-fourth  street — 

opposite  the  large  dwelling  now  occupied   by  John   D.   Rockefeller.      The 

wisdom  of  a  good  location  had  been  taught  by  the  purchasers  of  the  Catholic 

Orphan    Asylum    block,    between    Fifty-first    and 
St.  Luke's  "  /  it       •    i        i        i 

Hospital  rirty-second  streets.     Hospital  and  asylum  property 

is  free  from  taxation;  but  that  does  not  prevent  its 
rapid  advance  in  price,  if  it  be  upon  a  fashionable  thoroughfare  like  Fifth 
avenue.  The  result  was  that  the  Roman  Catholics  sold  their  block  to  the 
Vanderbilts  for  $5,000,000;  St.  Luke's  disposed  of  its  Fifth  avenue  hold- 
ings for  more  than  $2,000,000,  and  in  1  896  moved  to  the  present  site  on 
Morningside  Heights.     It  is  one  of  the  best  equipped  hospitals  in  this  country. 

The  splendid  group  of  buildings  devoted  to  the  various  departments  of 
Columbia  University  stands  upon  the  grounds  of  what  was  formerly  Bloom- 
mgdale  Asylum  for  the  Insane.  The  imposing  library  building,  with  its 
magnificent  approach,  cost  $1,000,000,  and  was  a  gift  of  Mr.  Seth  Low, 
formerly  President  of  the  Institution  and  last  Mayor  of  New  York  before 
the  consolidation.  This  educational  institution  was  chartered  in  1  754  as 
King's  College,  and  stood,  facing  the  North  River,  almost  behind  St.  Paul's 
Chapel,  far  downtown.  It  was  a  hotbed  of  Toryism  before  and  during  the 
Revolution ;  and  in  1  784  the  Legislature  reincorporated  the  college  under  the 
name  of  Columbia.  The  sale  of  the  old  buildings  on  College  place  yielded 
so  large  a  sum  that  the  college  was  removed  to  Madison  avenue,  above 
Forty-ninth  street,  where  a  whole  block  was  secured.  This  property,  in 
turn,  became  so  valuable  that  the  present  site  was  purchased  in  1  892.  The 
name  was  changed  to  Columbia  University  four  years  later.  Nine  colleges  or 
schools  are  comprised  in  the  University  scheme.  The  new  dormitories  south 
of  the  library  building  stand  upon  land  that  cost  more  than  $2,000,000. 

Turning    into   the    Riverside    Drive,    the   stately   and    imposing   tomb   of 

General  Ulysses  S.  Grant  looms  up,  half  a  mile  to  the  northward.     Although 

_.      _  incompleted,  it  is  the  finest  mausoleum  in  the  United 

The  Tomb  of  K 

General  Grant  States.     In  the  centre  of  the  marble  paved  plaza,  at 

the  foot  of  the  steps  leading  to  the  tomb,  will  ulti- 
mately stand  an  equestrian  statue  of  the  Great  Commander  and  upon  five 
bases  surrounding  the  open  square  will  be  placed  equestrian  figures  of  his 
principal  generals. 

The  mausoleum  itself  covers  exactly  1 ,000  square  feet  of  ground.  Its 
height  is  1  60  feet  from  the  base  line,  which  stands  I  40  feet  above  the  Hud- 
son.    In  the  architectural  treatment  of  the  interior,  the  open  crypt  of  the  Flotel 

66 


des  Invalides,  Paris — where  Napoleon  is  buried — has  been  imitated.  The 
bodies  of  General  Grant  and  his  wife,  Julia  Dent  Grant,  repose  in  com- 
panion granite  sarcophagi  upon  a  pedestal  in  the  centre  of  the  crypt,  below 
the  main  floor  but  visible  from  above.  The  walls  of  the  interior  are  of 
white  marble.  The  City  of  New  York  gave  the  site;  and  the  tomb,  con- 
structed by  private  subscriptions,  cost  $500,000.  Upon  this  height  the 
late  Li  Hung  Chang  planted  a  tree  in  memory  of  his  deceased  friend,  who 
had  visited  him  at  Pekin. 

The  hill  at  Claremont,  beyond  Grant's  tomb,  has  been  the  location  of 
several  famous  country  houses  that  hold  important  places  in  the  early  history 
of  New  York.  The  city  now  lets  for  a  restaurant  the  only  remaining  villa. 
One  of  the  most  pathetic  features  of  the  neighborhood  is  a  funeral  urn, 
mounted  upon  a  base  at  the  roadside  where  it  has  stood  for  more  than  a 
century,  inscribed: 

"To  the  Memory  of  St.  Claire  Pollock,  an  amiable  child." 

The  broad,  steel  causeway  that  stretches  northward  from  Claremont  to 
the  beginning  of  the  Lafayette  Boulevard  bridges  Manhattanville  gorge. 
The  viaduct  of  the  "Subway" — which  is  here  an  elevated  road — is  seen 
two  blocks  to  the  eastward. 

Southward,  from  Grant's  tomb,  the  splendid  Riverside  Drive  stretches 
to  Seventy-second  street,  a  distance  of  two  and  one-half  miles.  This  broad 
road  is  neither  level  nor  straight;  it  winds  along  the  hillside  with  gentle 
undulations.  Riverside  Park  contains  1  11  acres,  upon  which  many  of  the 
original  forest  trees  have  been  preserved.  Its  natural  beauty  of  location, 
overlooking  the  majestic  Hudson  and  facing  the  towering  Palisades,  and  the 
embellishments  added  by  landscape  engineers  combine  to  render  this  pleasure 
ground  one  of  the  most  attractive  in  the  world. 

The  Riverside  Drive  has  been  compared  to  the  famous  Cornice  road  that 
runs  from  Marseilles  along  the  Mediterranean  coast  into  Italy;  but  attractive 
as  is  the  European  thoroughfare,  it  does  not  combine  the  variety  of  scenery 
to  be  found  along  this  three  and  a  half  miles  of  parkway.  Real  estate  facing 
this  park  is  held  at  fabulous  prices. 

Another  view  is  had  of  Columbia  University,  Barnard  College  and 
Teachers'  College.  On  the  river  side,  beyond  the  railroad,  Columbia  is 
building  an  athletic  field  that  will  cost  more  than  $1,000,000.  A  triangle 
of  made  ground  extends  into  the  Hudson  as  far  as  the  pierhead  line,  upon 
which  is  a  stadium  with  a  seating  capacity  of  20,000  people.  This  en- 
closes a  large  field,  with  a  baseball  diamond,  a  football  "gridiron"  and  a 
quarter-mile  running  track. 

The  two  Queen  Anne  dwellings  upon  the  corners  of  One  Hundred  and 
Eighth  street  were  among  the  earliest  on  the  new  Drive.  That  on  the  north 
side  is  owned  by  Henry  S.   F.   Davis;  the  southern  one  by  S.  G.   Bayne. 

1 ,8 


Prominent  places 
of  Necu  York, 


Illustrating  the  growth 
oi  the  great  dry  goods 
house  of 

Lord  &  Taylor 


This  street  is  the  chief  point  at  which  traffic  diverges  to  upper  Broadway. 
During  the  bicycle  craze  it  was  thronged  with  followers  of  that  sport.  At 
One  Hundred  and  Fourth  street  was  the  home  of  the  late  Richard  Mans- 
field, for  many  years  a  prominent  figure  on  the  American  stage.  Its  bay 
front  extends  to  the  height  of  four  of  the  five  stories  of  the  dwelling.  Peter 
Doelger's  large  red-brick  house,  four  blocks  further  to  the  south,  is  one  of 
the  landmarks  from  the  river.  A  small  herd  of  white  deer  is  usually  to  be 
seen  in  a  netted  enclosure.  John  Matthews's  large  Swiss  chalet  and  Mrs. 
Mary  L.  Parsons's  ornate  stone,  ivy-covered  chateau  are  at  Ninetieth  street. 

The  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Monument,  erected  in  1 90 1 ,  surmounts  a  rocky 
height,  opposite  Eighty-ninth  street.  It  is  of  Greek  model  and  the  granite 
base  stands  upon  a  terrace,  furnished  with  seats  from  which,  in  pleasant 
weather,  crowds  of  citizens  watch  the  setting  of  the  sun  and  the  steamboats 
starting  upon  their  night  trips  to  Albany  and  Troy.  Here,  also,  is  the 
spacious  Colonial  mansion  of  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  C.  Potter,  Bishop  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Diocese  of  New  York.  The  Pompeiian  villa  at 
the  next  corner  is  one  of  the  most  artistic  dwellings  in  America.  It  is  a  rep- 
lica of  a  house  buried  under  the  ashes  of  Vesuvius  in  79  A.  D.,  and  only 
recently  found.  The  materials  employed  are  different  from  those  of  Pompeii, 
but  the  combination  of  red  brick  and  Italian  marble  is  highly  effective. 

The  crowning  glory  of  Riverside  Drive  is  the  exquisite  French  chateau 
recently  built  by  Charles  M.  Schwab,  a  protege  of  Andrew  Carnegie  and 
only  exceeded  in  philanthropic  acts  by  his  famous  patron.  A  whole  book 
could  be  devoted  to  this  house,  upon  which,  with  the  entire  square  of  land 
upon  which  it  stands,  has  been  expended  $5,000,000.  Although  not  so 
costly  as  the  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  mansion  at  the  Fifth  avenue  entrance  to 
the  Central  Park,  its  splendid  site  and  ample  lawn  combine  to  render  it  one 
of  the  most  delightful  objects  that  meet  the  eyes  of  a  visitor  to  New  York. 
This  house  belongs  to  the  transitional  period  of  French  architecture  (1500), 
in  which  the  freedom,  strength  and  boldness  of  the  Renaissance  became 
united  with  the  rich  and  delicate  ornamentation  of  the  French-Gothic.  The 
main  structure  is  three  stories  in  height,  surmounted  by  red-slate  roofs.  Its 
riverward  facade  of  limestone  has  a  frontage  of  I  00  feet,  approached  by  a 
broad  terrace  and  embellished  by  a  porch  with  fluted  stone  pillars;  its  south 
facade,  similarly  composed,  is  1  50  feet  long  and  includes  in  its  grouping 
a  grand  dining  hall,  conservatory  and  art  gallery.  A  charming  Gothic 
chapel,  at  the  rear,  completes  the  quadrangle.  Observe  the  fine,  white  stone 
porte-cochere,  under  which  the  driveway  from  Seventy-fourth  street  passes. 
This  is  the  dream  house  in  the  city  of  your  dreams! 

Turning  into  Seventy-second  street,  which  has  a  strip  of  grass  upon  each 
side  to  show  that  it  is  part  of  the  boulevard  system  and  leads  directly  to  the 
Central    Park,    we    start    southward    along    Broadway.      This    route   passes 

70 


? 


Mil.      Mi.     Home   of   tin     Famous    House   of   Steinway   &    Sum 


Columbus  Circle,  with  its  fine  monument  to  the  Discoverer  of  America. 
Looming  up  ahead  is  the  home  of  the  New  York  "Times."  The  Italian 
palace  at  Thirty-fifth  street,  occupied  by  the  New  York  "Herald,"  imparts 
a  picturesque  effect  to  the  locality.  It  is  a  copy  of  an  old  palace  standing  at 
a  similar  junction  of  two  streets  in  the  city  of  Verona,  built  about  1  350. 

A  bronze  statue  of  Horace  Greeley,  seated,  ornaments  Greeley  Square. 

The  Imperial  Hotel,  at  Thirty-second  street,  is  famous  for  the  excellence 
of  its  cuisine.  Its  palm-room  is  very  beautiful.  No  more  desirable  place 
exists  for  a  stay  in  New  York  or  at  which  to  take  supper  after  the  play. 

Thence  to  the  Flat-Iron  Building,  in  which  are  the  offices  of  the  "Seeing 
New  York  Company."  The  traveler  has  made  a  complete  survey  of  the 
most  cosmopolitan  city  in  the  world;  but  the  splendid  collection  of  paintings, 
statuary  and  laces  at  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  (for  which  this 
company  supplies  guides  and  automobiles  at  short  notice)  ;  the  beautiful 
Central  Park,  with  its  Egyptian  obelisk,  its  lakes,  its  cave  and  excellent 
restaurant,  should  be  made  the  subjects  of  subsequent  visits. 

When  this  has  been  done  and  the  delightful  yacht  trip  taken  around  Man- 
hattan Island,  the  guest  within  our  gates  will  have  formed  a  comprehensive 
idea  of  the  American  metropolis. 

In  reference  to  the  "Seeing  New  York  Yacht"  trip  around  Manhattan 
Island,  I  wish  to  say  that  every  man,  woman  and  child  ought  to  take  it,  if 
it  prove  as  delightfully  entertaining  to  them  as  it  did  to  me.  Although  this 
city  has  been  my  home  since  1870,  I  have  visited  every  town  of  importance 
in  Europe  and  Africa;  I  have  been  down  the  Mississippi  from  Elk  Lake  to 
Southwest  Pass;  up  the  Nile,  descended  the  Seine  from  Paris  to  Havre,  the 
Thames  from  Henley  to  Gravesend,  the  Rhone  from  Lyons  to  Avignon,  the 
Clyde  from  Glasgow  to  the  Isles  of  Bute ;  have  twice  passed  Scylla  and 
Charybdis;  have  bathed  in  the  Dead  Sea  and  stood  on  Jordan's  banks;  have 
seen  the  Tagus  at  Toledo,  the  Arno  at  Florence,  the  Tiber  at  Rome,  and 
spent  days  upon  the  canals  of  Venice. 

But  never  did  any  three  hours  of  my  life  pass  more  enjoyably  than  those 
steaming  over  the  East,  Harlem  and  Hudson  Rivers  and  Spuyten  Duyvil 
Creek — a  region  I  thought  I  had  known  most  of  my  life. 

A  marvelous  city  has  developed  under  my  eyes.  Never  until  now  have 
I  appreciated  its  greatness,  or  the  charms  of  its  environments.  To  see  New 
York,  under  the  guidance  of  the  American  Sight-Seeing  Yacht  Company, 
ir  to  comprehend  the  Eighth  Wonder  of  the  World! 

JULIUS  CHAMBERS. 

|  THE    END.  | 


i£x  Htbrta 


SEYMOUR    DURST 


~t '  'Tort  ntvuw   ^Am/itrdam,  oj>  Je  M<rnh<itan$ 


When  you  leave,  please  leave  this  hook 

Because  it  has  heen  said 
"Ever'thing  comes  t'  him  who  waits 

Except  a  loaned  hook." 


OLD    YORK    LIBRARY  -  OLD    YORK    FOUNDATION 


Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


K 


OTR.AVEL- 

$  LER.  without 

C  observation 
like  a  bird 

without  wings. 

*!  *Saadi. 


IS 


Unity   Press,    New   York. 


